


The Miraculous Tales of Scarlet-Bug and Captain Noir

by SanguineQueen



Category: Miraculous Ladybug, The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Different Powers, Barry Allen & Leonard Snart are the Same Age, Barry Allen is a cinnamon roll, Barry allen is ladybug, Cisco Ramon is so Done, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Smut, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Inspired by Miraculous Ladybug, Leonard Snart is chat noir, M/M, New Ladybug Miraculous Holder, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pre-Relationship, Thief Leonard Snart
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:49:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 23,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25117174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SanguineQueen/pseuds/SanguineQueen
Summary: When Barry Allen finds a small black box he ends up getting superpowers of creation from a little red bug called a kwami. Similarly, Leonard Snart steals another box and gets his own superpowers of destruction. Together, they must fight through evil monsters, awkward lunch dates, and save Central City while still trying to graduate college.Inspired by the show Miraculous Ladybug
Relationships: Barry Allen/Leonard Snart, Captain Cold/The Flash
Comments: 13
Kudos: 24





	1. Origins

Barry huffed out a breath when he finally collapsed in his seat for his first class at 10am.

He was already late as it was and lugging around his thick textbooks and laptop did nothing but hurt his lower back. The class was a good size, not too cramped or empty, the lecture was interesting enough, and all Barry could do was squirm in his chair the whole hour and a half. College life was exhausting.

Central City Academy housed the greatest legends to date and Barry wanted to meet them all. Teachers like Martin Stein, head of the criminology department, David Singh, head of the detective agency, and Sara Lance, the Dean for almost 15 years, were all on his list to attend their seminars. The creme of the crop though was Doctor Harrison Wells, the lead field expert in all technology and science. If Barry could somehow meet him, he would be on the top of the world and could die happily. Even if nothing else came from today, at least he could say he walked on the same sidewalk Dr. Wells drove past every morning.

Barry’s first class was taught by Martin Stein, an older gentleman with white hair he could see a mile away. He took notes diligently, asked questions, and before walking out introduced himself. Professor Stein was elated to find out Barry’s major was in Forensic Science, the “modern prosperity of the future” as the professor put it, and even went so far as to invite Barry back for coffee in the next coming weeks to discuss participating in some experiments of his own.

Barry basically skipped out of his class, not bothering to look forward until it was too late and he collided head first into someone wearing huge glasses hiding half their face. Something hot spilled all over Barry’s jacket and he shrieked, dropping his textbooks and messenger bag in a heap on the floor. 

“Ow! Omg I’m so sorry—“

The person reached forward to prevent the hot drink from spilling any further, instead knocking the sunglasses off her face. She dove into her bag and brought out a napkin.

“Here, let me help you with that. I’m such an idiot for forgetting the lids.”

“That’s alright,” Barry said, already peeling his hoodie away from his body before his t-shirt could get wet. The smell of coffee hit him head on. “I didn’t like this jacket anyways.”

Truth be told it was his favorite jacket, the only memento Barry had of his dad in prison and his mom before she had passed away from cancer in the beginning of the year. By that time, Barry had already graduated high school, done his first two years of college, and moved to Central City to start his Bachelors that fall, wanting to put his past behind him and start from scratch somewhere new.

“Hey, wait.” The lady put her hand on Barry’s sleeve when he bent to get his stuff. “Do I know you from somewhere?”

The young woman could have come out of a fashion magazine with her dark skin, long black hair, and dress that hugged her curves in all the right places. Now that Barry looked at her, like _actually_ looked at her, she was familiar too, even if he couldn’t place her from where.

“I don’t think so?” Barry said instead, reaching for his bag and wincing where he heard something shift. “I’m sorry but I really gotta get to class.”

“Right.”

She helped stack up the remaining books into his arms, watching out of the corner of her eye so Barry didn’t topple and fall from the added weight.

“Wait a second.”

Barry was pushed forward and then he almost did land on his ass. The books held up in their pile and he shot the woman a look of exasperation.

“Barry Allen? Like as in the Barry Allen? It’s me, Iris.”

“Iris?”

Barry was finally able to cram the textbooks next to his laptop in his bag and watch as Iris grinned back at him.

Oh...that’s why he had thought she was a model.

“Hey, it’s you, Iris.” Barry rubbed his neck, fighting a blush. “Long time no see.”

“It’s been forever,” Iris chatted. Barry could now smell the sweetness of her perfume. “How are you? Last time I saw you you were pushing the swing behind me and making those really weird experiments in middle school. Damn it’s been forever.”

“Yeah...It really has.”

Iris West, Barry’s childhood crush was staring at him and only remembered those lame volcano projects he had done. How convenient she didn’t remember all the valentine letters or the chocolate bars for Secret Santa he would leave at her desk, not to mention all the time he had spent staring at her yearbook photo before he had given up his freshmen year when she had transferred schools.

“You look good,” Barry continued, his heart in his throat. “You go here?”

Iris did that cute hair flip she had perfected at the end of 8th grade where her hair had only gone up to her shoulders. Long hair really worked for her.

“Yeah, I’m majoring in journalism so I can finally run my own news stand in the future. Still haven’t given up just yet.”

Ah yes, Iris had always been obsessed with journalism and creative writing, even making her own club in middle school. Barry had wanted to join but never had the guts to ask.

He really had to go before he fell further into the rabbit hole that was Iris’s big brown eyes.

“I...Uh,” Barry stuttered, motioning with his hands. “I gotta—Class.”

Iris must have gotten the message because she moved back to give him space. “Right.”

Barry nodded.

They said their goodbyes and Barry retreated out of there faster than a cheetah on steroids. Iris had promised coffee one of these—something he would have to psyche himself up for later—and he had said yes, like an _idiot_.

Although it had been good to see her...

Barry snapped his brain back to the real world. Iris was unattainable. She was attractive, bold, smart, the total package. Never, in a million years, would she want to go out with someone like him, neighborhood geek whose ideal date was staying home marathoning Stranger Things on Netflix and taking a nap.

A breeze swept leaves up into the late September air, carrying the scent of fall. The tree colors were changing from their typical green to golden brown and burgundy, Barry’s favorite time of year. It was automatically calming, even without the thin protection of his jacket the autumn sunshine turned his hair light brown.

The next class was short, a lecture on the introductions to the psychology of the human brain. It wasn’t as interesting as Barry would have thought with a lot more PowerPoint explications then talking, but he would make do. He also made sure his laptop wasn’t cracked or broken before placing it carefully back in his bag and jogging to the food court to find something to eat.

Barry had the all in one meal plan since he lived on campus. Having the ability to eat anything he wanted without gaining too much weight always had its perks, especially when he ordered the juiciest burger he could find and munched on it in one hand while holding a large vanilla shake in the other.

It was around 2pm and the food court was a bustle of activity. People gathered to sign up for clubs or talk to their peers about their assignments. Jazz music filtered from a sit down Italian restaurant, while across from it a huge crowd waited their turn for homemade pizza slices. There were vending machines, snack stands, and even an ice cream parlor tucked in the corner. At the center of it all the library stood proudly, the only place where food wasn’t allowed past a certain point. There was even a system to rent entire rooms for the day for people to sleep, study, or scream because of finals.

Barry moved onward, trading the shouts and loud noises for the quiet outdoors where again another breeze caught his attention. A blue bird twittered down at him from its nest, a squirrel chittered, and lizards liked the lips from across the treetops.

Barry had to seriously watch where he was going because for the second time that day he collided head on with another person, this time a young dude heading the same direction.

“Whoa, I’m so sorry. Wasn’t payin’ attention.”

“That’s okay, man. It’s cool.”

The stranger regarded Barry with a smile. He had long, wavy hair all the way to his shoulders, and a pair goofy 3D glasses balanced on the tip of his nose. The vintage Revenge of Sith t-shit and paint splattered jeans made Barry feel at ease.

“Is that real?” Barry asked when his gaze fell to a NASA pin on the corner of the stranger’s collar.

“Limited edition, baby,” the guy said. “Got it at San Diego Comic Con last year. 25th Anniversary Apollo 11 pin in the flesh. Had to trade my complete Star Trek playing card set just to even be considered bidding for it.”

“They make Star Trek playing cards? For real?”

“They make playing cards out of everything.” The stranger held out his hand and Barry shook it. “I’m Cisco by the way. You catch my vibe?”

Barry grinned. “Bartholomew Henry Allen. My friends call me Barry since it’s shorter and a lot faster.”

“Like Barry Sonnenfeld,” Cisco exclaimed, and then persisted to sing and snap the Addams Family theme. Barry snapped with him in the last chorus. “Far out, man. That’s wicked cool.”

Cisco’s good mood was infectious, Barry couldn’t help grinning and walking in step with him.

“Where you headed?” Cisco asked. “I got one class left and wouldn’t mind talking to someone with good tastes.”

Barry laughed. “Same here, then I get to unpack. I’m in G66, at the Northside.”

“Awesome-sauce, I’m there too! Is this a match made in heaven or what?”

They continued to walk and talk under the trees, Cisco describing his schedule in details even Barry could barely wrap his head around, but they still laughed and talked about stupid stuff like they hadn’t just accidentally head butted each other.

Barry’s phone chimed, signaling he had only 10 minutes to get to his next class before he would be considered late, and he blanched.

“I’m gonna be so late,” he groaned into the sky.

“No you’re not.” Cisco’s cheeky grin lit up his face. “I know a shortcut. This way.”

They cut through the grass to the other side of campus toward the statue garden Barry had been meaning to check out. Crossing two things at the same time always had its perks.

The statues of past teachers and deans stood proudly among the foliage. Their perfect white skin was like marble and so lifelike Barry had to breathe out a sound of wonder. He recognized Professor Stein among them, a younger version of himself, and Dean Lance with her stern expression. At the center stood Doctor Harrison Wells in all his glory, a perfect replica. It was hard not to stare.

“He’s a legend, ain’t he.” It was Cisco standing next to Barry.

“Beyond a legend.”

They grinned, going in through the back of the building where the auditorium was already packed with people. There were only two seats left in the front row facing the doors and Barry made a beeline straight towards him, Cisco on his heels. They sat down just as the clock stuck 2:45 and the lecture started.

The place felt like a can of sardines, and Barry had to fight to put his laptop on the table in front of him. The auditorium easily housed over 200 people and everyone held their breath at the same time waiting for Professor Rip Hunter to walk through the doors.

Barry looked around for a few seconds, catching the faces of others doing the same. The place even had a dark corner where the more reserved students sat. Barry could feel one of their eyes on him now, hidden enough so when he turned his head he slightly could only make out a navy blue jacket.

People exclaimed when the doors opened and instead of the walking Professor Rip Hunter, Professor Harrison Wells rode in on his wheelchair. People gasped and some clapped. A girl even fainted, falling out of her chair with a heavy THUMP on the floor.

Doctor Wells was _here_ , in the flesh, _in front of Barry!_

Barry almost squealed from his seat, only stealing his breathing when Wells clapped his hands to have everyone’s attention.

“Good morning, students.”

There was more cheering and snippets of disbelief.

Professor Wells chuckled. “I’m sure you all know who I am. I will be subbing in for Professor Hunter for today. Rest assured this is a treat for all of you as well as me, in fact I’m a little rusty with my teaching so forgive me.”

Wells cleaned his glasses on his sleeve. Even the gesture made Barry’s eyes go wide. He could practically see the individual stitches from where he was sitting, the slight wear and tear of the professor’s shoes, and even the individual hairs on Well’s perfect head.

“I will be here if you all have any questions, but for now let us begin.”

XXXXX

College life sucked ass.

College classes sucked even more.

College _professors_ , now they were the real dicks.

Leonard Snart rolled his eyes for the fifth time that hour. If he rolled them any further back he could probably find not only his brain, but the professor’s too.

The class was beyond drab, History of the Assembly Line, and the poor bloke who had to teach it was even older than the source material. Rest assured, Len would be skipping this class and probably the next one, and if he had a third he would skip that one too.

Math and science had been his forte since diapers, that was why he’d ended up in this stupid college in the first place. ‘The home where lawyers and DND geeks could party like the days of yore.’ Leonard had to laugh. Whoever thought college was fun clearly hadn’t seen the bill at the end of the semester.

At least the campus wasn’t all that bad. With its slick rooftops, starch white walls, and peaceful serenity that seemed to envelope whole environment, Leonard could see himself staying there until the late hours of the day, ducking into the library or one of the swinging tables littered across the greenery. There was also a garden in the middle of campus where all the famous crack heads and hippies could mingle and smoke until they passed out for the week. It was a paradise for some, a prison of books for others.

The nerds were lively this year. Leonard had passed at least 7 clubs all asking for his vote to sign this or end that. He had given his favorite finger to most of the people that passed him, saving his breath for whoever tried to chase him down when he speed walked away. A piece of paper wasn’t going to abolish world hunger anytime soon, even with Len’s signature mixed in the middle.

His next class was halfway across campus so he took the long way, making sure to breathe in the chilling air and watching the leaves dance as they fell from the trees. People didn’t appreciate nature as much as they should’ve, but this campus showed the importance of clean air. The grass was green from the constant sprinklers, the smell of dirt intoxicating in its own way.

Leonard arrived at class too early for his liking, deciding to stick around for a little while longer as a few people passed him by. He had missed lunch, wasn’t hungry, but a girl holding a sandwich made him stomach churn so he looked away and headed inside to hide his appetite.

There was still 32 minutes and 15 seconds left for class to start so he surveyed the area, stopping to tie his shoe to look under the tables too. No one paid him no mind as he made his way to the back, swiping pens and pencils and the occasional phone he would misplace later so the person could find it. Leonard never kept what wasn’t valuable, even now in a college setting when most of these students could afford the best of the best.

A shiny black jewelry box caught his eye from another student sitting next to him, next to an expensive looking leather wallet. The blond boy smiled, all hearts and roses, but when he bent to take out his laptop for the lecture, Len swiped the box and wallet off the table and pocketed it without anyone noticing. Jewelry was always worth a pretty penny and the extra cash would certainly help pay for dinner.

The professor walked in through the double doors, or rather rolled in. He practically screamed pretentious asshole in Len’s direction with beady eyes behind his designer glasses, his Prada suit pressed without a wrinkle, his wheelchair spotless. The lecture started like all the other classes, boring and dull while Leonard tried not to drool in his sleep.

For being such a random topic like quantum physics, the class was beyond packed with some students standing on the sidelines and others pausing by the door while they mixed up their schedules. Whoever this professor was, he was clearly a big shot. In fact, if Len squinted he could see all the nerds in the front row hanging onto his every word, writing things down so fast their hands would fall off.

Leonard tipped his head back and stared at the ceiling. He got what he paid for, all for a degree in engineering that would be obsolete in a few years when tablets or smartphones would take over mankind or their jobs would be taken over by machines.

Time ticked at a snails pace and he caught himself glancing at his watch more than once every minute. It really sucked that he could barely afford lunch, much less a laptop. Maybe if he played his cards right he could get a loan or steal some other sucker’s when they weren’t looking. Writing on his hands would have to do for now.

The professor asked question after question only the people in the front row understood. The whiteboard was wiped clean by another student and soon Leonard’s head rolled to the side.

Class ended and he woke up with a jolt. People were already heading out and half the auditorium was empty when he decided to get up and stretch. A few stragglers had stayed behind to fan over the professor, each more wide eyed and excited than the last. Len didn’t need to stick around for that snooze fest, he quietly saw himself out, dumping the wallet in the trash when he saw how many credit cards were in there. There was over $200 in cash.

It was past 6 when he kicked off his motorcycle and rode home, past the slums and the trailer homes to his little modest house on the outskirts of Central City. It was a good 40 minute drive but Len didn’t mind, not when he had the open dirt road all to himself and the wind drowned anything from reaching his ears.

His house wasn’t anything special, just a roof over their heads until Len could move out and take his sister Lisa with him. He had left once in his lifetime and the look of betrayal on her face told him she would never get over it, and he would never let himself forget it.

Lisa had two moods: absolute flirtation or extreme anger. With the first one she could charm even the moodiest king cobra, seduce them into marrying her, and then promptly have them cut off their own head off with the bat of her eyes. The second mood was so bad the devil himself could come down and Lisa would smite him with her glare.

There was one final secret mood only Len knew about and once he entered the house he immediately tried to beeline to the door, knowing the onslaught of questions would want to make him donate his ears to charity.

“Lenny,” Lisa called in a sing-song voice. “I know you’re here, big brother. How was your day?”

Rather than answer, Leonard stuffed his collar in his mouth and bolted up the stairs. He didn’t get far however, because Lisa smacked the door to his room wide open before he could lock it.

“Come on now, don’t be like that.”

“My day was fine. Classes are fine. Everything is _peachy_.”

Lisa hid her grimace with a tight smile. “Make any new friends? Got a hot date and that’s why you won’t tell me? Come on, Lenny, I’ve been cooped up all day slaving away to rich pricks and exchanging fake numbers I’ll have to burn in my memory. How was your first day?”

Lisa worked at the Saints and Sinners Dinner, an appropriate name considering it was in the sleaziest part of town where their father did most of his gambling. The customers were asshats, but at least the tips were good, letting Lisa finish her last year of her GED so she could hopefully follow away from Len’s footsteps and make a name for herself one day.

Her super short skirt covered little to the imagination and her makeup was always as pristine and flawless as her hair. Today she wore a modest coverup over her work uniform, the last birthday present Len had gifted her when she had turned 18.

“Where’s the old man?” Leonard asked instead of answering. “If you behave I’ll tell you all about it over dinner.”

It was a rhetorical question, they both knew where he was. Leonard also knew his father, Lewis Snart, wouldn’t be back until the early hours of the morning, long after Lisa had gone to work and he would make himself scarce.

“What’s for dinner?” His sister asked, smoothing down Len’s leather jacket with her fingertips.

“Pizza. My treat.”

“Pizza?” Lisa wrinkled her nose. “I can’t pay tonight. All of my tips went to the electric bill this month.”

Of course they did.

“My treat,” Leonard repeated. “I said I’d pay last time. Now, do you want to go get it or have it delivered?”

Lisa didn’t hide the way she stared hopefully at the door. That told Len everything he needed to know.

He took the jacket from her fingers. “Come on then.”

Even through all of Lisa’s pestering, she was silent most of the ride to The Tower of Pizza diner, a locally owned business that knew both siblings by name. They could also get a discount on the best garlic bread in Central City.

The diner was practically empty when they arrived, only a few customers milling around the checkered red and white booths. They said their order to the cashier and piled into a single booth, Lisa going first and Len facing her.

“So,” Lisa started. “Now are you going to tell me how your day went?”

“If you want, fine.”

Leonard told it like it was, he didn’t sugarcoat anything anymore for Lisa. She was a big girl, wiser than most people in their 30s, and she knew the law of the land better than anyone. Len described the open campus and the even more open people with their clubs and their acronyms and their frat parties. Her eyes went wide with every description, picturing it all in her mind’s eye. Before long there pizza arrived, half Hawaiian half veggie lovers, and Lisa stuffed her face while Len continued.

“The library is bigger than anything I’ve ever seen, a whole 9 stories of books and computers. You can find anything you want in there.”

“Are there any sororities? What were _they_ like?”

Len shrugged. “How should I know? You want me to join one and tell you about their slumber parties?”

Lisa sighed into her pizza even though she did chuckle at the joke. “I wish I could join a sorority. Do you think it would be fun, Lenny?”

“Matching clothes and banging the school mascot. What’s more fun than that?”

Lisa shoved her crust into his mouth before he could say anymore. The pizza almost choked him but Leonard swallowed it whole, coughing it down.

“You’re a jerk you know,” Lisa snapped. “You didn’t even want to go to college and yet here you are, taking it for granted.”

“Jesus, Lize.” Leonard drowned his watery soda. “If you’re so hurt about it why don’t you go in my place? The classes are _fine_ , I just...”

His voice trailed off and Lisa said nothing. The garlic bread was starting to taste bitter.

“Are you going to leave me too, Lenny? Is that it?”

Leonard almost choked again. “What are you talking about?”

“You can’t stand your little sister anymore because I hold you back. Come on, we both know you didn’t want to stay in Central. You only stayed because of _me_!”

“That’s not—“

Lisa waved the last slice of her Hawaiian in his face. “Don’t you lie to me, Leonard Snart. I’ve been getting lies all my life.”

Len said nothing, _couldn’t_ say anything to that statement. Lisa was right in a lot of things, but he didn’t want to believe her.

“Let’s just go home.”

He left a hefty tip because he could and they were off, this time the ride less comfortable. Lisa only held on when she had to and Len purposely turned harder in order to feel the contact. They got to the house and before he could even put his helmet away he heard the sharp closing of the door to Lisa’s bedroom.

Leonard didn’t bother, letting his sister cool down was the best option, even if it took a week for her to talk to him.

He threw his jacket against the wall, punched the dresser, and watched as an angry gash formed on his knuckles. He punched the wood again and again until the pain was so bad it was no longer grounding.

Leonard fell to the floor, head in his hands. He would have to clean up the blood from his clothes before his dad made it home, but for now he just sat there, wallowing in his self pity. It wouldn’t help anything and yet he still did it.

Something nudged his foot and Len opened his eyes slowly to spy the little black box he had swiped in his last class. It was barely the size of his fist now that he looked at it, hardly special.

Yet something was calling him to open it. He needed to open it. BADLY.

He took it in his hands and the wood was polished against his fingers. The blood had stopped flowing from his cracked knuckles, but Len still managed not to get a spec on the black box.

Opening it was...normal. Actually it made him feel worse. A single sterling silver ring blinked up at him and he almost, _almost_ threw it aside to continue to sulk.

Except a small voice that was not in his head spoke next to his ear and almost half scared him to death.

“If you get blood on the ring I’ll kill you.”

XXXXX

Barry was high as a kite when he left Well’s class. Cisco had excused himself to go to the bathroom, claiming he almost peed himself when the professor had rode in like a knight in shining wheelchair parts, and if Barry was honest with himself he had probably peed himself from excitement too.

The walk to his dorm room was shorter than he could have imagined, but then again he had skipped the whole way.

Barry’s dorm room was a modern, quaint apartment complex that had a basketball court on one side and a pool on the other. It was the kind of place frat parties would be thrown on one night, and then the other would be the annual board meeting where all the professors would gather over coffee on the bottom floor. There was complimentary breakfast, rose shaped soap, and even towels that looked like swans when Barry wheeled his luggage in and dropped it at the foot of the bed.

The room was a good size, single bedroom like he had requested with another person across the hall where he would share a kitchenette and bathroom. The window overlooked the campus, all the trees changing colors right before his eyes. There were clean sheets in the closet, simple and white, and the walls were burnt orange to contrast the dark furniture.

Barry threw his hands up and whooped loudly. Today had been amazing, even if his jacket was stained with coffee and his classes gave him more homework than he could imagine, he had met with his idol, his _world_.

Barry unpacked his photographs and camera equipment first, taking the time to organize them on the shelf overlooking his bed. Then he hung the few science posters on the wall he had managed to stuff into his bag and left his high school soccer trophy on his desk next to his laptop and books.

There wasn’t much else to put away besides clothing and enmities so Barry let them be, instead fishing for his phone in his messenger bag. He came up empty so he turned the whole thing upside down on his bed and watched as a bunch of pens, papers, and a notepad flew out. Still no phone? What was wrong with this bag!

Barry dug his hand until he felt a hidden pocket where his phone had been lodged in between two zippers. He also felt something else in there, foreign to his fingers, but it felt small enough that he pulled both objects out at the same time.

The thing turned out to be a small black box that when it caught the light had swirling designs on the sides. Barry started at it and opened it without a second thought. A set of simple black earrings stared up at him, two little dots against the cushioning.

Where had these come from? Barry had never worn earrings in his life besides the one time he had dressed as a pirate in grade school.

He was about to toss them aside to take them to lost and found, but a bright light exploded from _inside_ the box and Barry helped, taking cover under a pillow.

“Hello there, master of creation. My name is Tikki and—“

Barry screamed and fell face first onto his bed, slamming his head on the wood. It hurt like hell but it didn’t matter, he lay still.

He must have passed out because a knock on his door almost caused a Barry to knock his head a second time on the floor.

“Yo, dude!” There was more knocking and Barry half stumbled half crawled to the door to open it. “Everything okay?”

It was a boy younger than him, dark skinned with curly hair, wearing only a towel around his waste. Water was still trailing down his face.

“Yeah, sorry about that.” Barry averted his gaze politely.

“I heard screaming.”

“I...slipped.” It was such a lame excuse. “I didn’t mean to bother you.”

The boy looked him up and down, clearly not buying it, but didn’t press.

“Alright sure. If you need anything I’m Wally by the way.”

Barry nodded. “Thanks, man. I really appreciate it.”

Barry shut the door without another word, then he groaned. He hadn’t given his name!

Barry opened the door quickly just as Wally was closing the door to the bathroom, probably going to change.

“I’m sorry, that was rude. I’m Barry.”

Wally cracked a small smile and they went their separate ways.

The door being shut made Barry’s skin crawl. He looked around the room and everything seemed normal enough. His books and laptop were still on his desk so there hadn’t been a break in. His clothes were still unpacked, the bed was messy where he had fallen.

He could have sworn he had heard a voice. Barry checked under the bed, in the dresser, but found nothing.

“That was quite a scare,” a frilly voice said. “You should be more careful.”

Barry yelped, grabbing the nearest object to defend himself. It happened to be the desk lamp and he yanked it out of its socket, plunging half the room into darkness.

Just great.

“Whoa whoa. Please don’t hurt yourself.”

Barry could barely see but from what he could make out there was a tiny bug-like creature floating close to his face. An _alien_. Oh he was so screwed.

“I’m Tikki,” the floating thing said—hadn’t it already said that? “And you’re the new master of the miraculous.”

Barry could faint, or wait maybe he did faint again. The Tikki bug thing was talking to him. It was a real alien!

“You’re...YOU’RE—“

“Tikki. And you are?”

“Barry Allen?”

“Barry Allen.” Tikki nodded their head—her head? Its head?

“What are you exactly?”

“I’m a guardian of the miraculous of creation, a kwami,” Tikki supplied, zipping over to and on the desk. “You were chosen to wield my powers and become a superhero.”

“Superhero?”

Tikki nodded. From the looks of the little antenna poking out of her reddish, almost pink head, and her trill voice Barry could guess she was a girl. She almost resembled a little ladybug.

“Are you ready to transform and see what I’m talking about?”

Transform...?

HOLD THE PHONE.

Barry stumbled to Tikki, dropping himself in his rolling chair.

“Wait wait, start from the beginning. You’re a miraculous. What even is that?”

“Miraculous are beings of pure energy sent to guard the hope and virtue of humanity. We have existed for centuries in secret with only a few people in the history of time that have ever documented us. Those are called guardians, and there is one right here in Central City. I was sent to find you so you could help him save the world.”

“Save the world.”

Apparently Barry was a dumb idiot because all he could do was repeat whatever Tikki was saying. He was probably getting pranked, yeah that was it! Pranked by Wally across the hall to usher him into his new year at the university.

“Thanks,” Barry said slowly. “But I’m good. I’m no hero. Cue the cameras, this prank is over.”

Tikki’s gaze darkened, her blue eyes turning bluer. “This is no joke, Barry. I really am a miraculous. And you’re my new master. We should start your training immediately.”

“No. What you are is a figment of my imagination!” Barry threw his hands in the air and whirled around. Maybe if he closed his eyes he’s wake up from this dream.

He ended up finding Tikki poking his nose when he opened them.

“Come on, come on,” she rushed. “Your partner must be waiting for you.”

“Partner?”

Tikki nodded like it was obvious. “You wield creation, your partner wields destruction. Together you are ying and yang.”

“Right...”

Barry chewed his bottom lip. On the one hand he could turn in this little bug creature over to the authorities and be done with it, maybe put it to good use. The lab always needed to resources to find cures for cancer or the common cold, maybe this was it. On the other hand, he could see where this was going, stick it out for as long as he wanted. Hell, he could be a superhero according to this thing.

“Okay.” Barry nodded slowly, then more firmly, deciding his mind. “Okay, I’ll do it. What do I have to do exactly?”

“I have to pierce your ears. Please hold still. I’ll explain everything once you have the earrings on.”

If Wally heard a Barry scream again he didn’t knock on the door a second time.  
  


XXXXX

  
  


When Leonard climbed out of his bedroom window and summersaulted to land on the opposite roof he could practically hear the hero music in his head.

His own bug creature—the kwami or whatever the hell it was called—hadn’t mentioned how exhilarating it would feel to practically fly through the air and land with the silence of a cat, coat flying behind him. The mask-like goggles hid his face from the air rushing past him, the spandex suit peeking from beneath the long black trench coat. The only downside was the prominent cat ears poking out of his hair and the thick belt looped around his waste that trailed behind him like a tail. If he wasn’t careful he’d step on it by accident and fall to his death.

Leonard landed on another rooftop, catching himself at the last moment to drop low on the ground. Below him the police sirens blared red and blue in the darkness, continuing on their nightly rounds. He had to stay hidden to make sure no one accidentally glanced up and saw a spandex wearing teen out and about in the most crime ridden part of Central City.

Leonard eyed the magic ring on his pinkie finger, the source of all this new power. The kwami creature had said he had the power of destruction and had to look for his partner, the power of creation. Whatever the hell that meant it apparently didn’t need to make too much sense coming from a floating cat thing with a bobble head.

Leonard leapt from his perch, dropping to the alley and slinking in the shadows. This part he was good at, silently waiting for his prey in the darkness where no one would ever find him. Except tonight he couldn’t dawdle, he needed to find his partner or at least attempt to.

The name ‘power of creation’ had no clues to it; it could be anyone. Boy, girl, old man, Leonard didn’t know who he was looking for. If he was somehow stuck with a toddler he was tossing this ring at the bottom of the river, no matter how good the power felt.

A red streak caught his eye from one of the adjacent roofs. Apparently super hearing and super sight were two new powers Leonard had developed when he donned the superhero suit. He took off after it, like a match illuminating the path down the alley.

There was someone standing up ahead, slightly illuminated by the moon like a god descending amongst mortals.

“Hey,” they said. “You must be my partner. I’m the ladybug of creation.”

Leonard blinked. He didn’t know if it was the extra adrenaline running through his system or the extra set of ears on his head, but from what he could see, creation was _hot_.

The boy couldn’t have been more than his age with reddish brown hair peeking from the large mask covering his cheekbones. His body was covered in the same spandex material as Len’s all bright red with a pattern of spots highlighting his slight chest and thighs. Armor plating trailed up his arms and back and a yo-yo was being lazily twirled in his black gloved fingers.

Rather than wave, Leonard composed himself quickly. Standing at his full height they were about the same in size, even with half a roof separating them.

“The ladybug of creation.” Len flashed a grin. “Bit on the nose there, don’t you think?”

The ladybug put his hands on his hips. “You’re one to talk, black cat. What should I call you?”

Leonard waved him away. “Doesn’t matter. I don’t even know what I’m doing here to be honest.”

Ladybug’s cute face made an “o” shape in surprise. “We’re superheroes of course. We have to have names if not what will we call each other?”

The kid had a point, even though Len had never been good at superhero names when he was kid.

“Alright, I’ll bite,” he said, thinking for a moment. “My name will be Captain Noir, hence all the black.”

The boy nodded, his lips lighting into a brilliant smile that covered his face. “Captain Noir. I like it. I’m not married to the name The Ladybug even though that’s what I am, clearly.”

“How about, Scarlet,” Leonard supplied. “It’s your color and I bet you blush prettily.”

As if on cue, the boy blushed. It really _was_ his color, flushing his cheeks in a way that matched his suit.

“Call me Scarlet-bug,” he said. “That way it merges both of our ideas. We are a team after all.”

A team. The word sounded foreign to Leonard’s ears—or rather Captain Noir’s ears. When he wore the mask he was someone else entirely. He wasn’t the college student who couldn’t afford books or the big brother practically raising his baby sister on his own. He was something more.

“So,” Captain Noir drawled. “What do superheroes like us do?”

Scarlet-bug gave him an exasperated look. “Didn’t your kwami tell you anything? Mine was super helpful.”

“We don’t exactly come with a manual.” Captain Noir riffled through the pockets of his coat but found nothing, no indication of papers or any other type of identification. What he did find however was a small cylinder in the last pocket closest to his heart, about the size of his forearm. A button blinked up at him, all metallic silver glinting in the lamplight.

“What do you think this does?”

Captain Noir pressed the button and he found himself shooting up into the sky. He must’ve left his stomach on the ground because he swayed on his feet, holding on for dear life while the cylinder extended. No screams left his throat when the ground waved below him.

“Oh my god!” Scarlet-bug shrieked from the roof. “I got you, don’t let go!”

“No shit, Sherlock,” Captain Noir shouted back at him, bashing the button with one hand and holding tight with the other.

The staff retracted and he was back on the rooftop, if not a little dizzy. If there had been anything left in his stomach, he would have puked it up right there on down into the street. Scarlet-bug watched with wide eyes, even coming so close to try and steady him with a wavering hand.

Captain Noir reared back, leaping almost a foot in the air to keep his distance. His partner looked a little hurt, but his features smoothed into an easy smile.

“You have a staff, that’s pretty cool. All I got is this.” Scarlet-bug twirled his yo-yo, practically smacking himself in the face. “I think I could use some practice too.”

“I can see that.”

Captain Noir’s voice was hoarse, his heart pounding wildly in his chest. He had had enough adventure for one night, but he still didn’t have a clue what he and the little Scarlet-bug what meant to do around here. Central City had never been the greatest when it came to cleaning up crime, not even the CCPD was able to keep up with the constant robberies and crime.

“Come on, let’s go see what else we can do,” was all Scarlet-bug said, and he was off, swinging his yo-yo to land on a lamp and spin to another building.

For all his talk about not knowing what to do, Scarlet-bug seemed to know exactly what he was doing when he landed with a twirl of his arm, waving from the other side. The light illuminated his face and the look of pure delight could be seen from a mile away.

“Being a hero is so fun!”

“Sure it is, kid.”

Captain Noir pressed the button of his staff again and leapt onto the lamppost, landing on soft feet. The staff extended, stopping on the other side next to Scarlet-bug’s boot, and he crossed silently across, not even breaking a sweat when he stepped on the adjacent roof.

“So you’re my partner,” he stated.

Scarlet-bug nodded. “Sure am. I can’t tell you my identity though because it defaces the whole purpose of the superhero thing.”

“Right.”

“But I’m totally okay with meeting you in real life if that’s what you want! I just don’t know if my kwami, Tikki, will like that very much. What’s your kwami do?”

There was that word again. Captain Noir scratched his ear—his human one, not the cat one he had also grown on his head.

“Plague, I think his name was. I didn’t quite catch it.”

“Oh, alright.” Scarlet-bug kicked at a tile all nervous for a second before continuing. “So since we’re superheroes I think the first thing we should do is look for signs of trouble, but you’re my partner so I think you should have a say too.”

The poor boy; Captain Noir almost laughed. Scarlet-bug looked at him with such friendliness and adoration it was almost too much for his tainted black heart. If only this poor kid knew.

“After you,” was all he said. Scarlet-bug’s smile made it almost worth it.

They ran through the rooftops of Central City, stopped only a few times at the faint signs of trouble, but there was none. For being such a crime ridden city, tonight was the most peaceful it had been in years, not a cloud in the sky and the moonlight spilling prettily over the trees.

“Hey! Wait up.” Scarlet-bug huffed out a breath when Captain Noir was about to leap to another building. “Let’s just take a minute.”

They did, Captain Noir tapping his foot while he counted the seconds. Scarlet-bug took the time to look around at everything, taking it all in with flushed cheeks. The wind had stilled but an unknown force was ruffling the boy’s hair, or maybe it was always like that. Captain Noir wondered if it gave him trouble in the morning.

“You’re the one who suggested to go looking for trouble.” Captain Noir leaned on the chimney closest to him. “Trouble seems to always find me.”

Scarlet-bug laughed. “Same here. I’ve always thought something was wrong with me for being bad luck. I guess being a ladybug proves I’m good luck, am I right?”

A scream tore through the night, stopping their conversation. Captain Noir poked his head up just in case he missed anything. His blood was running colder by the second. There were sirens on the other side of town, far away from the actual commotion.

He took off running, Scarlet-bug behind him, until they saw what they were looking for down in the street.

A woman was running away from a man holding a gun. Her heels were the only other sound on the asphalt besides the heavy breathing of both parties. The man held a purse tight in his hand yet he still held his weapon out like he meant to shoot.

Captain Noir didn’t need telling twice before he spun into action, knocking the gun away with a quick kick in the air. The gun went off, but missed, ricocheting off a pole and burying itself in a building. The man stumbled back, his eyes wide. Behind them the woman was crying.

Fingers dug into his cheek and Captain Noir stumbled back. The attacker must have gotten cocky because he clocked him again, this time in the nose. The metallic taste of blood in his mouth brought out a snarl.

“What are you supposed to be? Halloween ain’t for another month you freak!” The man laughed and before he knew what he was doing Captain Noir punched him in the face and the man was knocked out cold in the middle of the street.

There was silence.

“Wow.”

Scarlet-bug was now at his shoulder, gazing down at the man with the gun in awe. No, not the man, at _him_ with awe.

“You have a mean right hook.”

Captain Noir grinned, even as pain exploded from his left cheek where the guy had taken a cheap shot at him. “That’s good to know.”

The sirens were actually close by, crossing a block away. The police must have heard the gunshot.

“We better go.”

Scarlet-bug agreed even though he didn’t look so sure as Captain Noir climbed on top of a building to head into the night.

“What do we do with him?” Scarlet-bug nudged the attacker with his foot who moaned in pain.

“We leave him for the police. I don’t see you packing a pair of handcuffs so let’s get out of here, Scarlet, before they arrest us too.”

They left together away from the crime scene as the cops came around the corner.

XXXXX

Barry stumbled into his dorm room close to 4 in the morning just as the sun was starting to peak over the college grounds.

What a night! He and his partner, the rogue yet oddly charming Captain Noir, had stopped a robbery. A real life _robbery_! Never in a million years had a Barry stopped a bully and now he had faced a gun and lived to tell the tale.

Actually, Captain Noir had faced the gun and won, but same difference. Barry had won by default.

What he hadn’t won was any sleep and even now he lay exhausted on his bed in his t-shirt and jeans from the previous day. He hadn’t even showered and that suit sure could make him sweat.

“How was it?” Tikki asked, flying towards him. She had requested food once he had detransformed into his old clothes, the ladybug suit falling away like magic, and Barry had given her a bag of cookies he had stowed away in case of a snack emergency.

“It was AWESOME! Damn I’ve always wanted to be a superhero.”

It was the truth. Barry had read comics like Spider-Man and The Flash ever since he was a kid, even sharing a name with the later. How cool was it that he could go down in history like one of them?

“This was amazing, Tikki. Thank you for choosing me.”

“You’re welcome, Barry, but I didn’t choose you per say. The guardian did. You just had the courage to open the box and put on the earrings.”

Which speaking of, that had hurt like a truckload. Barry was never getting his ears pierced again, especially not with a staple gun like Tikki had done it.

He breathed a sigh. “I think we should both sleep for now. I’m beyond tired.”

Tikki hummed in agreement.

“Make sure to put your alarm on so you don’t forget to go to class,” she reminded after a moment.

It was too late, Barry was already snoring on his pillow.


	2. Weather Wizard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry and Len continue to try out their new miraculous when a new threat emerges in Central City.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW each chapter just keeps getting longer and longer. Thank you all for the wonderful comments on the last chapter and this new AU. I really appreciate all of you and the whole fanfiction community. Enjoy!
> 
> Also let me know if you can clearly read what the kwami’s are saying inside Scarlet-bug and Captain Noir’s heads while they’re fighting.

“Did you see that?”

“No.”

“Yes you did. Don’t you roll your eyes at me.”

Leonard sighed, shrugging on his boots while his kwami floated around his window. Lisa was trudging through the cold air, clearly still mad at him from the birdie she kept shooting up at his closed blinds. She didn’t wait for the bus, just started walking to Saints and Sinner for her early shift.

“Who is she? Does she know how to cook?”

“That’s my sister Lisa, and no she can’t cook. You give her cereal and she’ll burn the place.”

Plagg huffed in disbelief. “Well, whoever she is, she can’t know anything about me. Kwami and miraculous have to be a secret.”

Len’s lips twitched. “I don’t intend to tell her anything.”

Plagg considered that for a moment. He turned back to stare out the window. “Aren’t you gonna go after her? That’s what I would do.”

“You clearly don’t know live in this house if you think I’m just going to beg for my sister’s forgiveness. She the one being a hard ass, not me. She’ll get over it soon, always does.”

Maybe Len was being way too hard on Lisa _and_ Plagg, but right now he was dead weight on his feet. Neither of them had gotten much sleep last night judging by the constant opening and closing of Lisa’s door, and Plagg wasn’t the quietest when it came to rummaging around in dark corners. At least his walls weren’t paper thin, if not that would’ve been a real problem.

Plagg made a sound of irritation and Len almost chucked his shoe at him. “What is it now?”

Plagg held up Leonard’s phone by the charging cable; it was a miracle the creature could pick it up at all. “It says here there’s a GPS that can track the best restaurants in the area. Did you know there’s a cheese and wine festival across town. 12 blocks! Can we go? Can we?”

“No.”

“I promise I won’t get that drunk.” Plagg dropped the phone and Len dove to catch it. “I’m so hungryyy. I need to eat.”

“You need to shut up,” Len said. “There’s food downstairs we just need to wait a few minutes to make sure my father is asleep. In _silence_.”

Plagg seemed to consider that, quietly settling down on a bookshelf. The kwami had claimed it as his spot, apparently loving the dreary tales of Edgar Allen Poe and Plato. He would also mutter about inaccuracies in both the author’s renditions.

“When are we going to go meet up with ladybug again? You guys still don’t know anything about your powers. What if there’s an akuma attack?”

“A ha-whata?”

Leonard smacked himself upside the head. Right, the akuma, the ancient powers terrorizing people for centuries and yada yada. Plagg hadn’t stopped mentioning that but at this very moment, Len didn’t care. He had bigger fish to fry then a stupid butterfly flapping after him if he got angry.

“Exactly. You don’t know what you’re doing.” Plagg tapped his nose. “If you transform I can teach you a few more tricks, just get me food first.”

Leonard waved him away like a fly, shrugging on a leather jacket with lots of pockets for Plagg to hide in. “I have class. I can’t right now.”

Truth be told, Len was itching to become Captain Noir again. The rush, the adrenaline, the sheer excitement of being able to run until he passed out and fly through the air like a knife. Even his fighting had improved significantly when he noticed the swift kick he had deliver to the gun wielding maniac. He probably looked good in that skin-tight leather too judging by Scarlet-bug’s glances and constant blushes.

Scarlet-bug. Yet another mystery for Len to uncover.

“Fine,” he acquiesced. “I’ll transform once we’re out of the house, just to see what else I can do. I’ve got only one class today anyways and it’s boring as shit.”

Plagg gave a cheeky grin. “That’s the spirit! Hone your abilities, feed on the destruction. And make sure to stop by a cheese cart on the way. Do you have those here?”

Len almost laughed. This creature wasn’t half bad when he wasn’t asking for trouble. Sure, he _really_ liked cheese for some god-forsaken reason, but that could be forgiven if mischief lucked out.

Len opened his door just a crack to make sure Lewis was still asleep. They tiptoed—Plagg actually took a ride on his shoulder but whatever—down the stairs. Lewis was passed out on the couch like he was every night, bottles and white power strewn around him like a shrine. The dishes from a few days ago still stunk up the kitchen counter, and new dishes had been added, piling up high that there was barely any silverware in the drawers.

There was no food in the fridge when Len opened it besides some expired ham and a carton of milk. Luckily there was a wheel of Gouda cheese that Plagg grabbed automatically, almost tumbling with the added weight. Leonard grabbed him and the cheese, stuffing them into his jacket before he could make more of a ruckus. He closed the door behind him just as Lewis twisted around to find a more comfortable sleeping position.

“Jeez, kid. Have you always lived like this?” Plagg asked between bites.

Leonard winced, walking to where he always parked his bike, just far enough from the garage so his father wouldn’t ‘accidentally’ crash into it when he used the only car they technically owned.

“Born and raised here.” Len threw on his helmet and started the engine. “It’s my city, closest thing I got to a home.”

“It’s kinda a dump.”

“I know.”

The motorcycle was kicked into gear and they were off. Plagg grabbed one of Leonard’s buttons, somehow managing to climb into a pocket before he was blown away. Cheese crumbs fell to the pavement as the bike sped up down the street. The wind blew with a passion, deafening any sound except the hum of the engine.

Plagg whooped in enthusiasm, prompting Len to speed past a red light. There were no cameras in this area and there was no need to be modest with how fast he could go.

“You sure we’re not the real villains?” He shouted above the white noise.

“Can’t be,” Plagg’s cheeks were rippling with the high winds. “Ladybug would stop us.”

“Would he? I take that as a challenge.”

They both cheered the rest of the way down the street, riding closer to Central City Academy.

  
  


XXXXX

  
  


Barry slept through two alarms and the persistency of Tikki repeating his name over and over. Only when the kwami poked his forehead with her tiny fingers did he shoot up out of bed, almost knocking her across the room.

“I’m late! Oh my god, I’m so screwed.”

“Barry, calm down,” Tikki’s voice pacified from the pillow she was sitting on. “it’s past 2pm. What time is your class?”

Barry groaned, rubbing his eyes. His head didn’t thank him for the movement and he felt dizzy.

His class had been at noon and he had had another at 2pm. He’d specifically picked afternoon classes so he wouldn’t miss them, now apparently that had been a stupid decision.

Sleep still clung to his subconsciousness, even as Barry rummaged for his phone somewhere on the bed. He found it between the sheets, finding no missed calls or text messages from anyone. There were a few emails about some assignments he had due by the end of the week, but there was nothing out of the ordinary, no impending doom if he didn’t attend class.

He’d fall behind, fail, repeat the year, be stuck in college forever, and never be a real forensic scientist.

“You were out for a long time,” Tikki said. “I hope you don’t mind, but I ate the rest of the cookies in your bag.”

Barry muffled another groan into his pillow. “I’m sorry about that,” he mumbled. “You must be starving. I’m such a horrible person.”

Tikki giggled. It was a wonderful sound like wind chimes hitting in the breeze. “You’re not horrible. You’re just tired.”

Barry burrowed himself deeper in his sheets. They smelled clean, even with the sunlight spilling over and dampening the fabric softener.

“I’ll have to get you food, I’ll have to get myself food. What do you like to eat?”

“Anything. But I like sweets the most.” Tikki licked her lips. “Blueberries are my favorite.”

Barry sat up, a smile stretching his face. “Really? Me too. What else do you like to eat?”

Tikki then went into a monologue of all the different foods she had eaten or tried over her lifetime, some Barry had never even heard of. It was strange but serene in a way to share something as mundane as favorite foods with a small bug creature probably from another planet. Another _universe_ at that.

Barry nodded through it all, even when Tikki concluded that she liked vegetables.

“Vegetable?” He wrinkled his nose. “I’ll buy you anything but brussel sprouts. That’s where I draw the line.”

They shared a few more laughs and that’s when Barry decided to take a good look around and really access the situation.

Tikki looked so comfy on the pillow she was sitting on, and the rest of the room just fit with her in it. Even though it hadn’t been more than 24 hours, the kwami had integrated herself with a flourish, even if she had a life of her own.

“Say, Tikki. How old are you? Do you have any friends? Are there more kwami like you?”

That question was stupid, of course there were more kwami; Captain Noir had his. Barry blamed his grogginess for the stupidity of his questions.

Tikki didn’t seem to mind.

“I’ve been alive for centuries. Us kwami are only active if our wearer has on their miraculous so I’ve made loads of friends over the past, but when our user dies or decides to give up being ladybug, I go back in my earrings until I’m called on again.”

Barry touched the earrings still pinned into his ears. They didn’t feel uncomfortable to him, but now the sheer weight of Tikki having the black spots as a lifeline really hung on his shoulders.

“So what you’re saying is if I take off these earrings then...” He reached for an earring, clicking it closer to his ear. “You disappear?”

Tikki didn’t look slightly fazed by the question. “For the time being, yes. Kwami can’t be killed exactly but our miraculous can get damaged. For that we must suffer the consequences and live on, even if our user dies in battle or we’re serving a new master we don’t particularly like.“

“That’s horrible,” Barry whispered.

“It’s all part of the cycle of the miraculous. No need to be blue.”

“I’m not.” Barry chose his next words carefully. “I know what it’s like to los someone you love, that’s all.”

Barry’s mom laughing on the beach flashed in his mind. He pushed it aside, fighting to have his smile remain.

“Life is all about loss,” Tikki said. “There cannot be a beginning if there is no end. That’s why the ladybug of creation and the black cat of destruction always exist at the same time.”

Barry slid his feet so they touched the cold wood floor. The shock was grounding. “You mean there are other ladybugs like me? And other Captain Noirs?”

Tikki nodded her head. “Right now you’re the only ladybug miraculous wielder, but there have been many others over history and they have stopped many evils. Some of my favorites actually had your spirit, your heart and goodness. Your will makes you really unique to be the next ladybug.”

Barry drew in a breath. This was a lot of information to take in at once. Even though he had just gotten to his feet, he had the sudden urge to sit down again.

“Why me?”

“Hmm?”

“I mean, you know.” Barry gestured to himself. “I’m a college student. I have no muscles, so much free time. I barely know what I want to do with my life.”

“So? Anyone can be a hero.”

Barry didn’t know what to say. He really didn’t. Tikki must have known his uncertainty because she flew to his hand and held it in one of her own with a press of tiny fingers.

“Anyone can be a hero,” she repeated. “As long as you want to help people, you can do anything.”

Barry’s eyes filled with tears and he fought to keep them at bay. He didn’t know why he was crying, but for some reason the sobs came out and he sat there, watching the teardrops fall to the floor. Tikki was there through it all, not saying a word.

Finally they seemed to stop and he slipped on a brave smile.

“We can talk about it if you want,” Tikki reassured. “If not, that’s okay too.”

Barry wiped the last tear with the back of his hand. “It’s okay. I’m okay now.”

He got dressed in silence while the sunlight streamed through the blinds. Tikki watched when he shrugged on his red sneakers.

“They’re like me,” she squealed, inspecting the yellow laces with a childish fever. “Yellow is my second favorite color after red.”

“Really? Red and blue are my favorite colors.”

“Blue is sad sometimes, but sky blue is really pretty.”

“I mean more like sea blue. Like when the waves crash on the beach and it’s both blue and green at the same time.” Barry have a sad smiled. “My mom used to collect all kinds of sand from the beach when I was a kid. I still have them, but they’re all in storage.”

“That was nice of her to give them to you when you left to college.” Tikki flew to Barry’s bag with his laptop when he picked it up to head out.

“No, I...kinda took them when she died.”

“Oh. I’m sorry to hear that, Barry.”

Barry glanced down. “It’s okay. Loss is part of life like you said.”

They passed Wally’s room and went down the stairs to the common room to head out into campus. It was a buzz of activity like every other day. There were vendors in the sun selling their homemade jewelry, a few little girls with their mothers giving out cookie samples, and the many clubs trying to get more members.

Barry immediately spotted Cisco with his shoulder length hair and retro t-shirt. That must’ve been his “thing” because today the shirt said “I don’t age, I level up” and it was actually pretty cool considering the bright orange lettering.

“Hey, dude! Long time no see.” Cisco waved him over. “Coming to join my club?”

“Club?”

Cisco was standing in front of a large tent sporting the Super Smash Bros logo with a large VERSES on it in big, bold letters. A booth with tons of different retro video games in cardboard boxes and a PlayStation sat center stage with a sign up sheet advertising the gaming club. Three other people lounged in front of the booth, two sitting with one leaning on the tent pole. The three seemed to be arguing.

“You can’t tell me you liked playing as Abby of all people,” a guy with glasses said. He was sitting cross legged on a chair. “She killed Joel!”

“I’m not saying I liked her,” another guy said, this one with dark hair and bright eyes. “I’m just saying I can understand why you play as her to get the full story.”

“That’s bullshit. She kills Jessie too! What do you think, Felicity?”

Felicity, the last remaining member with blonde hair and clear glasses to match, tossed her head in annoyance. “I’m over here playing Final Fantasy Remake. I don’t like zombie games therefore I’ve never played The Last of Us.”

The guy with glasses was on his feet in a second. “But you agree with the fans, right? Joel was done dirty.”

“Sit down, Winn,” the other guy said. “They did it, we can’t change it.”

“I’m not sitting on nothing, Raymond. _You_ sit down.”

“Guys!” Felicity shrieked to get their attention. “We have company.”

All three stared at Barry like he was an alien. Barry could only smile shyly and wave, even when Cisco pushed him deeper into the tent.

“Everyone, meet Barry,” Cisco introduced with a sweep of his hand. “Barry, this is Felicity Smoak, Ray Palmer, and Winn Schott. They’re part of my ultimate gaming club.”

There was a torrent of “hellos” and “welcomes” when Felicity, Ray, and Winn started talking all at once about their favorite gaming genres, platforms, and YouTube creators. It was a welcome bustle of activity but Barry was hit with too much information at once.

“So what do you say?” Cisco said when it was all over. “You feel like testing your luck against me at Smash Ultimate on Friday?”

Felicity brandished a GameCube controller like a weapon while Winn and Ray looked on with smiles. Heat flooded Barry’s cheeks.

“I...Uh...”

XXXXX

Class was a chore to sit through, even though it was a hybrid course according to one of the other students whispering in front Len. If he thought analytical geometry was going to be boring to attend 2 hours every Tuesday, at least he could sit through it from the comfort of his own bed.

Plagg was uncharacteristically silent the whole time, only making snide comments from his pocket when some idiot said the wrong answer even though it was all child’s play. Leonard snickered under his breath when some poor sap actually thought dilations with scale factor k ≠ 1 produced images congruent to their prey ages.

“You’re pretty smart when you want to be,” Plagg remarked when they were leaving the building. “I thought you’d be stupid since you wanted to get here so bad.”

Leonard gave him a sly smile. Plagg was still very much hidden in his pocket, but the kwami made a sniffling sound when a little girl passed, selling cookies in a cart. Plagg’s drool almost seeped through the leather of the jacket.

“I’m not stupid, I just don’t apply myself. It’s actually one of the reasons people argue with me.”

“What’s the second reason?” Plagg asked when he had gotten a cookie. Pocket change sure came in handy.

“I like to argue,” Len replied cheekily, popping a lemon biscuit in his mouth. “Pisses people off.”

He didn’t have much to do the rest of the day besides avoid his house, so they mutually decided to explore the area, starting with the library.

The library was at the very center of campus, the meat and bones to the whole place. There were a few entrances scattered throughout different buildings, but the sole immensity of the main building was beyond massive.

Its redbrick structure stretched into the sky with its matching Victorian windows detailing every floor. Len pushed open the heavy swinging doors that led into a chessboard floor with at least on hundred shelves fanning out in all directions. There were couches and beanbag chairs and a coffee shop area that seated at least six or seven people to a table.

Leonard skimmed his hand across a section of books in alphabetical order labeled with multicolor tape. Around him students rolled around with their laptops and other electronics, taking books off the shelves with a swipe of their student IDs.

“I’ve never seen so much kindling in one place,” Plagg said from his pocket. “The smell is getting to me. Let’s go to the food court.”

Len continued inside, paused the librarian at the front desk who was reading a book himself. A burly, bald student was giving him the side eye, even as he complained in a rough voice.

“So whaddya think, doc? You think I can publish it already?”

“I do say it is a good read so far, Mr. Rory.” The librarian snapped the book shut. “But your misspellings leave much to be desired. If you can find someone to peer edit your vocabulary, I may consider.”

The student left in a huff, practically shoving people out of his way when he went out the door.

Geez, Len hated to be in his way, even though his strength got him thinking.

“Come on,” Plagg complained. “What are you doing in here?”

“Browsing. What else can I do?”

There was so much to do on just this floor, and probably more on the next, and the next after that.

Plagg huffed. “Well pick something already. You’re just standing there and people are starting to stare.”

If anyone was staring it was because Len was glaring at his pocket, not because he was in the middle of a library with no books or laptop strung over his shoulder.

He moved on. “We are simply going to procure a laptop from storage. I need one for class and here is the best bet.”

“Don’t you mean steal?”

“Tomato, toma-to.”

There wasn’t a door marked ‘S-T-O-R-A-G-E’ like the many exit signs surrounding the area, so Len tried his luck by looking at the directory in one of the corners. It gave detailed summaries to what was located on each floor, but nothing about where they kept the damaged or unwanted equipment.

Len decided to casually wait for someone to use the elevator. He picked at his nails while pretending to peruse a section of Italian nonfiction. The elevator ding drew his attention away and a pretty woman with blonde hair and a tight pantsuit passed without a second glance. He slipped in after her.

It was luck he didn’t need an ID to operate the buttons since he didn’t want anything traced back to him just in case. He selected floor 5 because it was where all the offices and help desks were located according to the directory.

The elevator dinged at his stop and Leonard rushed through as the doors opened, not even stopping to acknowledge the man and woman going into the elevator.

“Superheroes don’t steal,” Plagg said under his breath, even though he didn’t press further. They were a few feet from the receptionist in front.

“Good thing I’m not a superhero right now.”

The receptionist was all smiles when she saw Leonard, especially when he turned on the charm.

“Pardon me, Miss. Would you mind telling me where I can find the bathroom? I have a meeting with a professor in a few minutes and would hate to miss it on account of getting lost.”

“Certainly,” she chimed. “Just take a left at the next juncture and it’ll be down the hall, you can’t miss it.”

“Thanks very much.”

Len speed walked the way she had told him, but instead of left he went right down the hall of all glass interiors.

Most were empty and locked, but some had professors and students milling around, so Len made sure to steer clear of those, keeping close to the wall to let people pass and act as temporary blind spots. So far he hadn’t found anything of value, not even a supply closet or a vent system he could sneak in. The empty rooms were clear of any value, even when he picked the locks with ease.

“There’s nothing here,” Plagg muttered in disgust, almost in disappointment. “Let’s go.”

“Wait.” Len stilled the kwami with a hand.

There was a balcony in the office leading to the next floor where a voice drifted down. It had to be a man’s voice by the way the sound carried, but it was cheerless in a way, gloomy like a raincloud.

Len decided in that moment to use the rock climbing lessons he had taught himself all those years ago by scaling the building, sticking close to the Victorian roofs that dipped down on either side. Plagg had a heart attack when he moved his head from the pocket.

“YOU’RE CRAZY!”

“Shh, Plagg,” Len murmured. It was high up but he had done worse. “You breathe too much and we’ll both fall to our deaths.”

Plagg started to breathe harder. The kwami practically trembled while it held onto Leonard’s jacket with a fierceness.

“You’re crazy. Get back inside NOW.”

“Shut up. I want to hear this.”

The man was definitely crying. Now that Len could see him he was by the window almost right on top of him. If he moved too much he would certainly be spotted.

“That can’t be right,” the man whispered. It was carried away by the wind. “Clyde would never have...”

There were more strangled sobs and a few drops fell just a few inches short of Len’s foot. Whatever this guy was going through it must have hurt more than anything in the world because he was sobbing uncontrollably.

Something passed in front of Len’s vision and he squinted across the sun in his eyes. He didn’t move a muscle, but suddenly a butterfly flew towards him, almost grazing his jacket while it tilted its black wings towards the man on the balcony.

“Akuma!” Plagg flattened himself against Len’s chest. “Don’t let it touch you.”

The air chilled considerably as the black butterfly flew closer, clearly drawn to the man in ways Leonard could never understand. They were apparently drawn off by negative emotions so he should be safe. Right?

“I’m not pissed off right now. I’m fine.”

Plagg gave him a look. “You’re always pissed off.”

They watched the akuma go up up, and through the man, burying its wings of evil into the earring hanging from the man’s left ear.

There was incoherent muttering for a moment, talking that was too incomprehensible because Len was already on the move back down to the 5th floor and the office where he had climbed from.

“Oh shit,” Plagg squeaked. “Transform. Transform NOW!”

Len almost fell from the balcony when the window above exploded.

XXXXX

Barry held the flyer for the video game club to his chest.

“You smile any harder and you're going to hurt yourself,” Tikki said from his bag, even though she was grinning too.

Meetings were twice a week and he had all their numbers: Felicity, Cisco, Ray, and Winn. Barry could literally call them up when he was bored and hang out, do Netflix and chill. It was better than anything in his life.

“Do you know what this means, Tikki?”

“That I’ll have to stay hidden in your bag more often?”

Barry laughed. “That, and we’re seriously going to need to buy a mini fridge.”

The sky turned black as clouds rolled in and small drops of water hit the ground lightly. Barry pulled his hood up so the rain didn’t hit him.

“What else do you want to do today? I wanted to go get my bike from storage, but I guess the weather has different plans.”

A crack of thunder rebounded in the distance and it began to pour, soaking Barry instantly. From his bag Tikki rolled around, trying to dodge the drops almost the size of her head. Lightning struck a tree almost a meter away from them, frying a lamppost to a crisp.

People began to run and scream, trying to seek shelter as fast as humanly possible. Lightning almost hit a woman going up the steps to the Queen’s Residence Hall, and Barry raced after her, knocking her out of the way so they rolled on the ground. Burned bricks were all that was left where she had been standing.

Barry ushered the woman inside while water tracked her face and she expressed her thanks, closing the door behind them just as the glass exploded from one of the windows.

“What the heck is that thing? Tikki!” Barry howled over the incoming wind. He had ducked beneath a desk as more window shattered by the heavy winds.

“It’s an akuma.” Tikki was practically flying out of the bag so Barry held onto her. “I can feel its dark magic. You better hurry and transform now.”

Barry nodded. “Right.”

He ducked behind a corner, making sure to keep to the shadows of the building. Everyone was too busy running away from the freak storm, seeking shelter or photographing the apocalyptic scene with their phones. Only when a car flew through the sky and dropped out of nowhere did people actually clear the courtyard.

“Tikki, spots on!”

The transformation overtook Barry and it was as exhilarating as it had been last night. He felt his mask take shape, molding itself perfectly over his eyes, and his suit expanded to cover him from head to toe. His yo-yo flew through the air and he caught it, spinning it around himself until it settled neatly against his hip.

Barry was ready as Scarlet-bug in a flash of red, smiling at his gloves and armor.

“I’ll never get tired of this.”

 _You can admire yourself in the mirror later ,_ a voice said. _Right now there’s an akuma on the loose._

“Tikki?” Scarlet-bug said aloud. “Is that you? I can hear you.”

_We can talk through your miraculous. If you need any help I’m right here with you. Call Captain Noir to make sure you can meet up._

“Call him?”

His yo-yo was in his hand in an instant, a dialing screen already beeping to call Captain Noir. Apparently yo-yos made great cell towers because the cat miraculous picked up on the second ring.

“Hardly a time for a social call,” Captain Noir mused from the other end. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Scarlet-bug fought the urge to roll his eyes and lost, pressing the yo-yo phone to his ear. People ran past him trying to get deeper into the building to shelter. A few stared at him, not because of the suit, but because he was going through the double doors with a yo-yo as a cell phone. Or maybe it was the suit.

“Do you see the tornado?” Scarlet-bug watched as a tornado touched down in the quad, swallowing trees, benches, and the occasional sewer grate into its swirling vortex. “Because I’m looking at it.”

“I’m in the middle of it.” There was screaming from Captain Noir’s line. He was starting to raise his voice too in order to be heard from the rushing winds and car alarms. “I’m near the library at Central City Community College, or whatever the hell this place is called. Meet me there.”

He hung up as Scarlet-bug started running in the direction of the tallest building on campus, the library. The tornado was barreling towards it and if he didn’t get there on time, there would be nothing left of the building besides the cement pillars holding it together.

A car flew at him and he ducked. It narrowly missed and hit the crosswalk, making a heavy crater in the ground. There were no civilians to be tossed around like rag dolls so he would take a flying car or bike coming at him any day.

Captain Noir crouched at the other end of the street closest to the library, fighting his own battles. The wind kept knocking him back, even as he used his staff to hold on like an anchor. Pieces of wood and shrubbery flew in his direction but he dodged them with ease, only stopping for a few seconds to bury his staff deeper into the ground, not noticing his partner running towards him.

And a bus that was about to fall on top of him...

“MOVE!”

Captain Noir turned just as Scarlet-bug hit him head on and they rolled. Scarlet-bug threw his yo-yo up like a shield, twirling it as fast as he could as the bus landed on top of them. Metal shards and seats crashed down, sheared to ribbons by the yo-yo wires. The sound alone was deafening.

_BARRY, are you okay?_

Scarlet-bug huffed, dropping his exhausted arm. Glass rained down on him but he didn’t care, he was only looking at Captain Noir.

“Are you okay?”

Captain Noir shook himself out. Pieces of shrapnel clung to his trench coat and they slipped off of him like water. The cat miraculous holder looked mostly unharmed except for a small cut on his cheek that was already starting to heal over.

“How did you know you could do that?” Captain Noir asked faintly.

“I...didn’t.”

There was a cackle as they picked their way through the desolation of the bus. No passengers were on board and Scarlet-bug almost cried from relief.

The street was in ruins and they had to leap over pieces of the sidewalk to get any closer to the library. Car sirens sounded in the distance, even as the tornado halted for a moment, stopped altogether, and then died down. The rain continued, and lightning persisted to fry whatever it struck.

Captain Noir gave a shit-eating grin. “Glad you could join me, Scarlet. The weather looks lovely this time of year.”

The rain began to pelt them hard, almost like it was trying to beat them. They took refuge behind an overturned car and Scarlet-bug used his yo-yo to anchor themself from being accidentally blown away.

“We need to get a higher vantage point,” Captain Noir said after a moment. “The akuma is in his earring.”

Scarlet-bug wiped a stray piece of hair away from his face. His suit was soaked through and through and his boots felt squishy from the rain, but little by little it was like an inner warmth was beginning to dry him off.

“Wait, slow down.” He dropped his hands. “How do you know where the akuma is? Do you know where the akumatized _victim_ is?”

Captain Noir cringed slightly and his chest caved. “Call it a hunch but I think he’s still in the library. I was there when he...” He gestured with his hands.

“Was akumatized?”

“That’s what the voice in my head is saying, so yes. That.”

Focus, Barry.

“Right! Sorry.”

Captain Noir opened his mouth to say something, but instead ushered Scarlet-bug to come closer to his side. They peered together over the top of the car to see the rain had been replaced with another tornado, this time smaller and more complacent on top of the library. It looked like a beacon in one of those superhero movies where the main bad guy gloats before he has his super weapon completed at 99%.

Captain Noir must have thought so too because he huffed.

“Talk about cliché much. To think he’d be so high and mighty one minute and then gives us his exact location the next. The stupidity is astounding.”

Scarlet-bug studied the movements of the tornado, carefully calculating if there was any debris circling the roof. The building itself was dark and had lost its charming atmosphere with the amount of windows blown open and the debris stuck on the sides.

“If we go now, I think we can sneak into the 7th or 8th floor. Are you okay with me picking you up to swing you in?”

Captain Noir gave him a look that could cut glass. “That’s a hard pass from me, Scarlet. I’ll find my own way in, don’t you worry.”

Scarlet-bug nodded, flushing at the cheeks slightly, and he was off before Captain Noir could notice.

There was barely any wind resistance when he swung in through one of the opened windows of the 7th floor.

People huddled in the quiet and damp setting. The lights were flickering but still working at their lowest setting. Book shelves had been overturned to combat the wind and rain, only the hard desks at the far back remained untouched. When Scarlet-bug peered through the dark there was confusion and a few hushed voiced gawked at his arrival. To them he probably looked ridiculous, dressed in spandex and black and red, while they had their hoodies and jeans.

“Who are you?”

“What is that thing outside?”

“That is so not a good color scheme.”

“Did the tornado stop? Are we safe?”

The lights flickered and everyone screamed. Scarlet-bug rubbed his eyes, but he could only see darkness. The light press of fingers on his arm drew him to look wildly around even though he could only see the faint shadow movement of civilians.

“What are you doing?” Captain Noir hissed somewhere close to him ear. The cat had somehow phased himself through a window. “We need to get to the roof.”

“I can’t see.”

“You _can’t_?”

Scarlet-bug tried to rub his eyes again from beneath his mask, but it didn’t work. Even waving his fingers in front of his face proved there was nothing he could do to get back his sight. It was there but it wasn’t.

“Alright.” A hand fell between Scarlet-bug’s shoulder blades and he tried not to shiver from the contact. “I’ll have to lead you. Go left.”

He went left. Right? Somehow they both ended up knocking over a pile of...something? From the sound of it they seemed like books or maybe they were large bricks at this point. Captain Noir swore under his breath.

“Elevator’s busted. We’re going to have to take the stairs.”

They stumbled through the dark — Scarlet-bug mostly with Captain Noir leading him either by the arm or with a firm press to his shoulder. There were whimpers, but otherwise the people trapped in the library stayed quiet, no matter how scared they were.

There was a click and finally, _finally_ Scarlet-bug emerged from the dark to see the flashing red lights of the emergency system kicking into view. There was no blade of sirens, but at least the constant blinking lights gave him enough clarity to take the stairs two at a time and kick open the final door leading to the roof.

A tornado was swirling about a man looking more and more agitated by the second. His head was twisted in an odd angle, pensive throughout the storm in his midst. It was the perfect eye of calm.

The akumatized man’s voice was like chunks of ice scraping together. “Central City will bow before me in all my glory!”

Captain Noir actually chuckled. “I bow to no one so you lost my vote.”

“Give it up, uh—What’s your name?” Scarlet-bug cast his eyes around. Beside him his partner shrugged.

“Weather wizard? I don’t know.” Captain Noir rubbed his temples. “It’s freezing and naming names isn’t my thing.”

“Weather Wizard...” The man sighed in content. “I like it.”

The tornado winds picked up until it was a whirlwind of activity. Rain, hail, and snow fell from the sky, trapping everything in the storm at their mercy. Scarlet-bug sought shelter while Captain Noir used his staff to spin and propel all the hail away from them.

“Anytime would be good right about now, Scarlet!” A chunk of ice slipped through the defenses and hit Captain Noir on his cheek where he hissed in pain. His spinning didn’t falter. “We’re about to become snowmen.”

_Use your lucky charm._

“Lucky charm?”

Light exploded above them. It wasn’t a lightning strike or more hail, but the presence of something else. Something unearthly and _magical_.

A towel fell from the sky, landing on the roof with a wet plop. Scarlet-bug grabbed it before another piece of hail could try and impale him.

“Oh great, your power is making towels fall from the sky.” Captain Noir twirled his staff with one hand while he shook out the other and side stepped closer to better shield himself. “When I die from frostbite at least I’ll be dry.”

“Shhh,” Scarlet-bug pleaded. “Let me think! This can’t be right. Tikki?”

_I’m here, Barry. Focus. You can do this. Believe in yourself._

Believe...

Scarlet-bug blinked his eyes. When he reopened them the world was different. It was there, yet not. Changed. Red and black danced across his eyes, but not in anger or fear. It was like ladybug spots were trying to lead him to the prize, like a hint system in a video game. It was beautiful in its own way, even as the hail fell around him and Captain Noir gave him the deadliest glare imaginable.

“I know what to do.” His voice was calm, even as he wrapped the towel around his wrist to hold it. “Trust me.”

Captain Noir nodded after a moment, flipping positions so he was spinning his staff faster, now shielding Scarlet-bug completely. It was such a smooth gesture, both superheroes moving in tangent like they had done this dozens of times before.

The black and red dots flashed across the pipe system littered around the roof, traveling through the hard wear and tear of the ventilation right below Weather Wizard’s floating form and the air conditioners slightly to the side. One of the pipes protruded right across from the huge library sign advertising the CCA campus activities and upcoming homecoming game. It was a miracle the sign wasn’t already ripped off it’s hinges. A miracle, and perfect.

“You see that sign?” Scarlet-bug called to Captain Noir. His partner smirked. “You know what to do.”

“ _Cataclysm_!”

Captain Noir’s right hand pulsed with energy. The aura was dark and twisted, but also light, almost like the last rays of the sunset before they dipped below the horizon and disappeared into oblivion. The inky blackness enveloped his fingers when he twirled them. It was dreadful and beautiful and so right in his hand.

He charged at the sign, bending when lightning struck one of the pipes. Hail no longer rained from the sky, instead replaced by heavy rain. One, two, three, thunder struck and another bolt of lightning illuminated Weather Wizard’s sneering face.

The villain cackled as Scarlet-bug was able to duck behind an air conditioner just as lighting hit it and see the illuminated form of Captain Noir slash at the sign. It went down heavy, almost toppling Weather Wizard, but he floated away just enough for Scarlet-bug to cast his yo-yo into the swirling vortex, wrapping it around his leg.

Weather Wizard kicked at the strings in malice. “What _is_ this?”

Scarlet-bug swing into action when his partner crossed his path. Weather Wizard’s lightning was blasting small holes in the sign, but it held tight, weighing him down just right for his powers to finally punch a hole big enough to slip through.

It was too late though, Scarlet-bug was across the roof, leaping into the air with the towel billowing around him. It rose him up across the threshold and Weather Wizard was pulled as pieces of the sign covered the roof with debris, smacking him on the ground where he crumbled in a heap.

Captain Noir smirked as Weather Wizard tried to sit up only to fall back down again.

“You won’t be needed this anymore,” Captain Noir said and plucked the earring off of the akumatized man. It crumbled to black in his hand.

A black butterfly fluttered out of the fractured diamond. The wings weren’t as translucent as a normal butterfly, but inky blackness. It also wasn’t the darkness surrounding Captain Noir and his destructive powers. It was something else, something that made Scarlet-bug shutter when I started to fly away.

He twirled his yo-yo into the air, going to hit the flying butterfly to see if that would do anything. Instead, the yo-yo opened, swallowing the akuma whole until what was left was a white butterfly that flew away in its place. Even though the empty darkness remained inside the yo-yo, the light coming from within swallowed whatever evil had been trapped inside the butterfly.

“I guess that’s it?”

 _No_ , Tikki screamed inside his head. _You have to undo all the damage the akuma made. Use the towel._

“How do I do that?”

“Do what?” Captain Noir asked. Scarlet-bug tapped his head and he seemed to understand. “Right, the voices.”

Scarlet-bug took the towel in his hand. How was he supposed to use this again? I should’ve been pretty self explanatory if Tikki was making such a big fuss about it.

“Do I like throw it or something?”

Captain Noir shrugged. “Hell if I know, kid.”

He did end up throwing it, high into the air over his head.

Magic engulfed the roof, the campus, the withered form of Weather Wizard, even the best up pipes hit by lightning. Black and red restored the scenery back to its original form. All the trees blown by the wind rewinded into their place, the turned over cars righted themselves, albeit still on the wrong side of the road, and the power flickered back to life in the library. The clouds disappeared, the sunset showed proudly, everything was right with the world once again.

Captain Noir whistled. “Pretty handy trick you got there, Scarlet. Property damage sure is a chore.”

Scarlet-bug was about to respond but his miraculous beeped in warning.

“I better go,” he said instead, a faint blush spreading to his cheeks. Apparently normal human interaction still didn’t transfer into the super suit.

“You better. I’d hate to waste the mystery of your secret identity.”

Captain Noir saluted, then with a smirk leapt off the library and disappeared to the shadows. People started to emerge from where they had taken shelter in the chaos.

Scarlet-bug was about to take his leave too when a gasp stopped him.

He turned to see no one other than Iris West standing by the stairs leading down to the library floor, hand at her mouth. For a second he wondered if he had already detransformed.

“It’s you,” she said instead, clearly in awe. “You saved me—us. Back in the library I mean. Who are you?”

“I, uh...“

Words caught in his throat and Scarlet-bug used a cough to hide his embarrassment.

“You can call me Scarlet-bug. I’ll be taking care of these akuma from here on out.”

“Akuma?” Iris took a step forward. “I don’t understand.”

As if on cue, the man who was once Weather Wizard stirred from his magic comatose. Iris cast a glance, looking sympathetic to his direction even though she had been one of the people trapped in the building.

The ladybug miraculous beeped again, this time louder.

“I would see if he needs help, but I really have to go.”

“Go? But—“

Barry didn’t hear Iris finish her statement. He used his yo-yo to propel himself into one of the opened windows of the library just as he detransformed back, rolling into a crouch just as his suit melted away. Even though the top library floors had been evacuated, it was better safe than sorry so he waited, listening if anyone would come his way.

“That was really brave back there, Barry,” Tikki chirped. Her stomach rumbled loudly but didn’t acknowledge it. “You must remember your miraculous will beep when you’re close to detransforming.”

“I know, I know. I just didn’t expect to see Iris there of all people.”

Tikki nodded along even though she probably had no clue who Iris was. Barry absentmindedly reached into his bag and pulled out half of his unfinished sandwich, giving it to Tikki who buried herself in the plastic bag.

“I should’ve gone back to help the victim. Maybe...should I?”

Tikki swallowed. “It’s whatever you want, Barry, but I don’t know if he’ll still be up there when you go back. Remember you have to keep your identity a secret.”

Barry sighed. “I’ll do better next time, I promise.”

“You did wonderfully this time.” Tikki settled herself in his bag when she was done nibbling at the sandwich. There was barely anything left so Barry threw it away and made his way to the door. “Next time you’ll do even better.”

“I hope so.”

Taking one last glance behind him the room had been repaired from head to toe. The books were no longer wet, the shelves were back standing straight, and the broken pieces of stained glass were reconstructed back to their original grandeur.

Barry smiled slightly and closed the door behind him.

XXXXX

  
  


Iris West put her head in her hands. Her brain felt fried and on overdrive as she stared at the same pictures for the past hour. They were from her own phone, hardly the newest model but it still had done the trick, and Iris’s mind had become putty when she tried to decipher any of it.

There were three in total, two from afar and one up close. The first was of the Weather Wizard, aka librarian assistant Mark Mardon, in all his glory. It was a shame the poor guy had been given the news of his little brother dying in a plane crash, causing him to go on his apocalyptic rampage. He stood tall at the of the library building, a tornado swirling around him with enough force it obstructed the view of his entire face. The second picture was a higher resolution and zoomed out version of the tornado Iris had managed to take before the power had gone out and she had been forced to stay indoors. The last picture was the most rewarding, yet fuzziest one to decipher.

Two figures stood over the body of the defeated Mark Mardon, one black one red. The black one was turned away with his stance clearly looking across the city as it repaired itself. If Iris squinted she could make out the tiny remains of a building repairing itself right before her very eyes. The red figure was the one she wanted to know the most, the one she had talked to.

He claimed he was a hero, someone good for Central City. Even with its surplus of cops Iris sincerely believed if anyone needed superheroes the most it was the citizens of Central. Her home had always been problematic, but maybe these new heroes could change that and make it better.

She stared at the man, transfixed on his face hidden behind the large mask. He had called himself Scarlet-bug too, a superhero name after all. All red and black like ladybug spots, the semblance of good luck. Maybe that had also been the good luck that Iris had needed to sneak up the stairs and take the picture in the first place before anyone had spotted her. Maybe a little luck was all she needed to jumpstart her journalist career.

Luck or not, heroes always had secret identities and Iris intended to find out who he was, even if it drove her crazy to get to the truth.


	3. Peek-A-Boo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Len and Barry finally meet in real life as another akumatized victim threatens Central City, this time with a disappearing act.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update! College finals are upon us but I should have another chapter of Piracy is the Fastest Way to the Heart updated soon too. There are lots of goodies in this chapter and hidden Easter eggs so look closely and happy reading <3

Barry groaned.

The few times he had worked with Captain Noir had been great, phenomenal actually. They worked as a real team, stopping petty crimes at night, saved people from burning buildings, and even rescued the occasional stray cat stuck in a tree. So far there weren’t as many akumatized victims as they had anticipated, which was a good thing — A GREAT thing — but in a way the public still hadn’t formed their full opinion on the duo. While students had started writing blogs and making fan clubs over them on campus, the local law enforcement wasn’t so easily persuaded.

It had been a week since Weather Wizard and a few days since another victim, calling himself The Mist, decided to terrorize Central City. It hadn’t been easy to quarantine that side of the city, especially from a man who could turn himself into a living, breathing cloud of knockout gas, but they had done it. Scarlet-bug and Captain Noir had made national headlines once again as ‘the rising duo that could take down any threat’ thrown their way.

That being said, that didn’t mean Barry was comfortable working with just anyone, especially when it had to do with quantum theories and the cerebral flux of particles.

He had had a week to settle into all his classes, which according to all of the professors had been plenty of time even though it really wasn’t. Dr. Wells had explicitly complained the week hadn't gone by quicker, deciding mid-sentence there would be partners for most, if not all, of his assignments.

“It is fundamental for people to work in teams, regardless of whatever career path you choose,” Wells had said. “I encourage you all to have fun and see what you can accomplish with a partner.”

Cisco had been gung-ho to be Barry’s partner, until they had heard it would be randomly generated by a computer, something even Einstein couldn’t predict.

Cisco held up his phone and squinted. “I got some kid named Hartley Rathaway as my partner. Know him?”

Barry shook his head, trying to refresh his screen. The names weren’t loading and he had the luck of being located at the bottom of the page. “No clue. Hey can I use your phone by any chance?”

Cisco passed his phone over as people went to sit next to their partners. There was considerably less students once people figured out this course was harder than it looked. Wells pushed everyone to their limit and then some, especially with the amount of homework and research on each assignment.

Cisco’s screen finally loaded and Barry used both his thumbs to scroll.

“Do you think I can make a sign that says ‘Cisco Ramon Over Here’ in the next 5 minutes?”

Barry chuckled, even as he focused on the name highlighted next to his.

“Do you know a Leonard Snart?”

“Oof!” Cisco peered over his shoulder even though it was his phone. “With a name like that I’d remember. Damn, Leonard. Your parents have to hate you to get a name like that.”

“It’s better than Bartholomew,” Barry said, just as someone new came up to meet them. “Are you Leonard Snart?”

“God no,” the new guy said. “I’m much more educated to be named anything like that.”

“Geez, dude.” Cisco crossed his arms. “I wonder what you’ll say about me next.”

“Don’t tell me.” The guy put on a fake smile. “You’re Francisco Ramon. You must be honored to be working with me.”

“You’re Hartley?”

The guy nodded and held out his hand as if they were going to kiss it.

Both Cisco and Barry looked Hartley up and down at the same time. He was dressed to the nines with a stylish hat that screamed cold hard cash, pressed pants, a button down dark green shirt, and a suede jacket swung over his shoulder. Bold black glasses framed his face.

“That’s great that I’d be stuck with a rich kid,” Cisco seethed. Hartley drew his hand back in annoyance.

“Excuse me?”

“I don’t kiss rings or kneel,” Cisco folded his arms.

While they continued to bicker Barry glanced at all the other couples pairing up into groups. The class had been dismissed, but there was still time to look over the assigned project. He couldn’t find anyone without another student sitting beside them.

A snap in his face drew Barry to look at Hartley again.

“I don’t suppose you’d be up to trade, huh pretty boy?”

The way Hartley ran his eyes up and down made Barry squirm in his shoes.

Cisco came to his rescue. “I don’t think that’s allowed, Hart.”

Hartley’s eyes snapped. “Don’t call me that, Francisco.”

“If you don’t call me Francisco I won’t call you Hart.”

Barry excused himself while the two got in each other’s face. Neither Cisco nor Hartley registered him leaving so he took the stairs two at a time to look around the auditorium.

“Maybe he’s upstairs?” Tikki supplied from her bag.

“Let’s hope so.”

Barry tried frantically to cover every corner but he came up empty. It was only when something tapped his shoulder did he practically leap 6 feet in the air.

The tap came from another student and oh man, Barry was so screwed damn. This guy wore an actual leather jacket that hugged him just right with dark jeans and an even darker smile. His jawline was to die for and his eyes were killer blue to go with his hair cut short like he was going to attend the military.

“Bartholomew Henry Allen, I presume?”

Barry forgot how to speak. Whatever words left his mouth must’ve amused the guy because he raised his eyebrow.

“I didn’t catch that.”

“I—“ Barry cleared his throat. “Sorry to disturb. I was looking for my assigned partner. Do you know a Leonard Snart by any chance?”

The guy drew out a long breath. His eyebrow raised itself even more and — Wait could people even raise their eyebrows that high?

“Don’t know him. You’re out of luck.”

Barry ran his hands through his hair. Ugh, was he ever going to find this guy! Apparently Leonard Snart didn’t exist or was playing him and WAIT...

“You’re him aren’t you?”

Leonard smirked. “Most people call me Len so don’t confuse the two. I guess we’re partners then Bartholomew.”

“Barry actually.” Barry held out his hand and Len just stared at it so he dropped it. “If I can call you Len then please call me Barry.”

“Barry...” The name was a mere murmur and yet Barry tried so hard not to blush or shake or _both_.

“That’s me. Shall we get to work?” It came out high pitched yet Len didn’t seem to notice.

“Sure. I’m not much for closed spaces so I’d prefer we work elsewhere.”

“Okay. If you know anywhere lead the way, I guess.”

Len turned and headed out the door, not even waiting for Barry to follow. Barry stole a quick glance back down to see Cisco and Hartley still talking heatedly and he waved to try and catch his friend’s attention, but instead Hartley noticed and he put his hand down quickly.

Len was halfway down the stairs to cross through the statue garden when Barry caught up to him, holding his bag that swung with each step.

“Hey! Wait up.”

Len’s step didn’t falter. Barry caught his shoulder and a twitch made him jerk back.

“I was saying goodbye to a friend. Sorry I took so long.”

Len’s lip twitched. “No need to apologize, Barry. You do you.”

They continued to walk together until Len spotted an empty swinging table overlooking the trees, and made a beeline towards it. He took one end while Barry took the other, immediately going to unpack his laptop.

“I would like to get to know you, but I don’t know how long we have on this assignment,” Barry said. “Dr. Wells can be very demanding.”

“Yes I can see that.” Len’s eyes traveled up and down Barry’s body, but unlike Hartley had, they didn’t have this ill intent behind them. It was still very uncomfortable.

“Can you not do that.”

“Do what exactly?”

Barry gestured. He used his index and pointer finger to indicate eyes. “The eye thing. Sorry, but it kinda bothers me.”

“That’s alright, I’ll stop.” Len did after a moment, but he also gave one nice long glance as if conveying something to memory. “You seem familiar, that’s all.”

“I do?”

Len cocked his head to the side. “Very much so. I guess you have that type of face.”

“I guess.” Now Barry’s cheeks really did burn and he quickly opened his laptop to hide them. “Let’s get started, shall we?”

“Sure.”

Barry went back to his laptop, only after looking up did he notice Len didn’t have a bag or backpack on him.

“Do you have a laptop or computer you can take notes on?” He asked.

Len only supplied, “I forgot mine at home. I’ll be sure to bring it next time.”

They worked in silence, only supplying bits of information when it was needed. Even though Barry did all of the typing on his laptop, he still didn’t feel like he was doing all of the work. Len had some good insight, even rebutted his ideas in favor of something better. It was an hour later and they had already completed a good chunk of the lab report.

“So this is what I have,” Barry read. “‘In conclusion, the first subatomic particle sprang forth from the Big Bang to form reality as we know it. When the last proton decays, stops vibrating, and/or plunges the universe into quantum uncertainty, the particles that began it all will still remain, as they always are, in tandem.’”

“That sounds about right.” Len got up from his perch where he had been half sitting, half laying down with his feet on the table. “You can send it in if you want.”

“Don’t you want a copy?” Barry asked, even as he sent it in with both their names written at the top of the report. “Just in case Dr. Wells asks?”

Len seemed to consider for a moment. “You can send it through text message and I’ll be sure to put a copy in my hard drive.”

Barry nodded, even as Len got up to leave. “Hey, uh Len?”

Len stilled and gave him a look.

“I don’t have your number.” Barry pulled a lock of hair and looked away.

Len did that eye thing he had done before and for some reason Barry didn’t tense this time. He just let it happen, even when Len stopped himself short and wrote his number on a piece of paper he produced from the inside of his jacket.

“Here,” he said. “If you lose it you can try smoke signals, but I doubt I’ll answer.”

Barry took it with a smile. “Thanks. So I’ll be seeing you?”

Len smirked. It was a really good look on him. “We’ll see, won’t we.”

They parted ways, walking in opposite directions. Barry glanced back to see Len disappear into another building and he took out his phone to write down the number before he forgot.

“He seems nice,” Tikki said after a moment. “Kinda wild looking, but still nice.”

“Yeah.” Barry finished typing the number into his contacts, adding the diamond emoji next to Len’s name because it was the same color as his eyes. “At least I didn’t get stuck with someone like Hartley. I think this partner thing will work out after all.”

XXXXX

Len considered asking for another partner the moment he up and vanished from his little study party with Barry Allen.

The problem wasn’t Barry, not at all actually. _He_ was the problem, Leonard Snart. Barry was so kind and trusting, even going as far as to offer his own laptop a few times that he saw Len didn’t have his. Ha! If only Barry knew Len had been wiping the laptop he had stolen that morning just before he had come back to class.

Barry Allen, that kid sure could draw heads. His hair was brown like chestnuts roasting on an open fire, and his eyes had been that same deep brown with flecks of green in them. Of course, that also hadn’t stopped Len from memorizing every dimple and freckle on Barry’s exposed skin when he had taken off his jacket. He still looked extremely familiar.

“Someone’s got’a crush,” Plagg joked, popping his whole head out of Len’s inner pocket. “So when’s your next date?”

“It wasn’t a date,” Len sneered. “It was a casual conversation between two partners.”

“You mean like you and Scarlet-bug?”

Len stopped, jabbing the kwami with his finger. “Eat your cheese and stay out of it. Both Barry and Scarlet-bug are just two more people in my life I don’t need.”

“Pfft, okay.” Plagg dove back into his pocket and started eating the cheese Len had bought him that morning. “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

Plagg was mostly silent the rest of the way, only stopping to give an opinion here or there when other students passed them. The snarky kwami even made Len laugh when he commented for the fourth time about someone’s horrible appearance.

“Did you see those shoes?” Plagg whispered. “And that scarf? The _hair!_ She looked like a walking circus.”

Len chuckled. “Some people are into that.”

Plagg’s nose twitched when he poked his head from his pocket. “I’m not. It should be made illegal.”

They walked passed several more students in a group amicably chatting about physics or ocean economics or underwater Tetris, Len didn’t care. He casually pushed passed them before he looked like a psychopath talking to himself.

“Be careful or she could turn into an akuma.”

Even if it had been a joke, Plagg shot him a threatening glare.

“It’s called being akumatized. People aren’t akuma, they’re just used as pawns.”

“Like in chess, I’m aware.” They had reached the outside and Len breathed in the crisp air as the wind hit his jacket. “Who’s to say I’m not a pawn too, being a superhero and all that.”

“I don’t like using people like that,” Plagg muttered. “Akuma are dark creatures. That’s why it’s so important you never touch one. There’s no telling what it would make you do.”

Len nodded though he barely understood the concept. Fighting akuma had only happened twice, and though he wasn’t looking forward to a third time anytime soon, Len couldn’t help admitting the thrill was exhilarating. These past few nights he inched to put on the Captain Noir suit faster than he wanted to eat dinner. Even if patrol wasn’t quiet, he felt better in costume, _more_ than himself.

He reached his bike faster than he intended. It was nearing a quarter to 6 and the sun was already disappearing. The sky had darkened substantially, meaning an early dinner or an early start for criminals to go snooping around.

“What do you want to do now?” Plagg asked.

Len put his helmet on and kicked his bike into gear. He knew exactly what he wanted to do, but it had to wait. Reality came first.

He tore out of the college garage, taking the short way home. Knowing Lisa she would be home early, probably studying or browsing social media in her room until she’d hear the door open and act like she had been cleaning the whole time. Their father didn’t tolerate slacking, in any department.

Plagg didn’t seem to mind the silence as the wind drowned every noise except the purr of the engine. Len picked up the pace and smirked when a light turned yellow and he sped under it as it switched to red.

The glimpse of a police car turning the corner made Leonard’s grin turn sour as he slowed down to the normal speed limit. Cops didn’t scare him, in fact he’d been thrown in the slammer more times than not in order to get dirt on drug gangs running his neighborhood. Nothing ever stuck though, and before long he’d be released into the street to pretend nothing happened. Lisa didn’t know how many times it had actually happened, and he didn’t want her to know.

The first signs of the warning flash of lights made him cringe. The cop advanced towards him, the sirens now blaring their angry red and blue. Len prepared for the inevitable chase, but the car didn’t stop, only raced past him like they were in a hurry, blew the red light, and continued down to the nearest intersection.

“What was that about?” Plagg asked.

Leonard shook his head and kicked his engine to roar as the light turned green. He barely registered the inertia pull him back at the high speed as he followed the cop down the street, listening to the sirens.

It wasn’t long before a few more cops joined the road, leading towards a large tall glass building anyone could recognize a mile away.

“The CC Bank,” Len whispered before Plagg could ask.

The kwami poked his head out anyways when they pulled into an alley. The cop cars had created a ring like a fence, ushering pedestrians and bystanders away from the scene. Lights flared on and off in the bank as more boys in blue went to break the revolving glass doors to get into the building.

“I think that’s your cue,” Plagg side with a wide smile.

“You bet. Plagg, claws out.”

The transformation overtook the alley and Captain Noir ran to the scene, straightening his goggles out. It was too easy to propel himself with his staff to one of the open windows of the building when two officers were busy making small talk. No wonder Central City needed vigilantes.

Captain Noir landed silently amidst the glass of the window leading deeper into the second floor. Someone had to be here, he was sure of it. There were more disturbances the further he crept into the room and the elevator was blocked off by a large metal desk.

 _You hear anything?_ Plagg asked inside his head.

“Not yet.” Captain Noir trained his ears and wait, he did hear something. Something muffled.

He paused.

“What is that?”

_Don’t know. It’s coming from below us._

It was indeed coming from below. The closer to the floor he put his ear, the louder he heard it. The sound was like a constant thumping. Steps? Maybe something else?

Captain Noir pushed the desk aside and it rolled away like it was as simple as tossing a bag of chips. The elevator was still in working order so he walked in and selected the basement level, the first place any thief would look for overflows of cash. The steady drum of elevator music filled the air until a ding made the elevator doors open.

It was suddenly quiet. Too quiet...

And then he heard it again. The rhythmic tapping like Morse code or a drum beat coming from a nearby storage closet.

Captain Noir inched forward ever so slightly. It was one thing to check out a noise that could be coming from an air conditioner or a rat, it was another to be ambushed in a dark basement with only an elevator as the way out.

The tapping was louder, only now there were also voices talking like they were underwater.

Captain Noir readied his staff, using the furthest end to tip open the door and then...

Five pairs of gaping eyes stared back at him in terror. It was three men and two women, and judging by how they were smartly dressed in fancy suits and pinned skirts they had to be the missing workers from the top floor. The closest woman cried for help from behind her gag. Tears ran down her cheeks and her mascara was running.

Captain Noir undid her gag quickly so the woman gasped out a breath.

“We were outnumber.” She shook while speaking. “The police, they—LOOK OUT!”

Something hit Captain Noir on the side of his head and he staggered, rolling away to prevent anymore damage. There was an overturned desk that had probably belonged to a receptionist at some point he used as a vantage point. There was no one else in the room, only the hostages quietly crying in their corner.

“Surprise.”

It was a woman’s voice, and Captain Noir barely had time to block another attack as a pipe was brought to brush along his nose. He dodged, dropping down to a crouch and kicked out at his attacker. She seemed to stumble for a split second before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

“Too slow, Kitty Noir .” The woman taunted from across the room, swinging the pipe with an eerie smile on her face. “Better luck next time.”

She disappeared again and Captain Noir gave chase to where the vaults were held in a long hallway. Another smoke trail made for a beacon to track the lady down, even as he skidded to a halt and almost collided with the swing of one of the safe doors,

The woman bat her eyes wearing too much eyeliner and brought her head down against Captain Noir’s goggles. He faltered and this time the woman was able to sweep her legs under him so he hit the ground hard.

“I’m Peek-a-boo,” the lady spat, getting close to his face. Her pink mohawk and spiky attire made her look like a punk rock groupie gone wrong. “And I have a quota to make so run along, kitten. The grown ups are playing.”

“Your name is Peek-a-boo and you’re calling me childish?” Captain Noir rolled his eyes and spit on the floor. It came out clear so that was a good sign. “You’re no cat burglar. Akumatized victim I take it?”

Peek-a-boo howled in fury, but he was ready for her this time, using her own momentum to swing his leg and knock her out of the way. She vanished in a shower of black dust when he made his way deeper into the vault.

Peek-a-boo appeared in the corner and charged, once again knocking him off balance. They staggered together, yet neither landed on the floor this time. Captain Noir used his staff as an anchor to kick the air, but every attack he executed fell short as Peek-a-boo was one step ahead of him.

“That all you got?” She goaded, now holding a bag full of cash. Her eyes were glowing an inhumane shade of yellow, the same as the gold belt wrapped around her waste. “I thought this was going to be a challenge. You’re pathetic.”

“First rule of stealing,” a new voice said. “Remember to watch your back.”

Captain Noir evaded another lung from Peek-a-boo as a yo-yo flew towards them and hit her in the face so she staggered back and dropped the bag of money.

Captain Noir regarded Scarlet-bug with a wink. “Glad you could make it.”

“Sorry I almost missed it.” The yo-yo retracted back into Scarlet-bug’s hand and a smile played on his lips. “What have we got today?”

“Teleporter. She leaves a trace of black dust wherever she goes.”

“Noted.”

Peek-a-boo groaned from where she had been knocked to the ground. She then growled and picked up the bag of money when she saw Scarlet-bug.

“Stupid heroes,” she spat. “You’re the reason this city will fall.”

She disappeared again and then laughter filtered through the hallway where she was running.

“After her!”

Captain Noir didn’t need telling twice when he took off down the hall, watching the bright pink mohawk bob up and down. It was almost like it was taunting him when more laughter bubbled from Peek-a-boo when he lunged in her direction and she vanished before his eyes.

“Too slow,” she taunted from inside another vault. “Gotta be faster than that.”

Captain Noir fought a curse. Scarlet-bug appeared at his side not a moment later, breathing hard from all the running back and forth.

“This one’s tough,” the ladybug miraculous holder said between pants. “Jeez I almost had to take the bus to get here.”

Captain Noir smirked, even as he readied his weapon. “Let’s get this over with.”

“Lucky charm!”

Red and black sparks danced across the hall like lightning, revealing the item they needed in order to take down Peek-a-boo once and for all. It fell from the ceiling and Scarlet-bug floundered his footing in order to catch it.

“A _tuba_?” He stared at the weapon with narrow eyes. “I was in glee club in high school, but this is ridiculous.”

“Well you better learn how to play,” Captain Noir said as Peek-a-boo poked her head from inside the vault, giving a little wave as she saw them. “And fast.”

“You guys don’t quit do you?” Peek-a-boo laughed before she disappeared.

This time however, she didn’t materialize in the hallway and her annoying cackle reverberated off the walls like in a horror film. Captain Noir and Scarlet-bug stood back to back, one holding a staff like the sword and the other using a musical instrument like a shield.

“Where is—“ was all Scarlet-bug exclaimed before he was knocked off his feet. The tuba slid from his hands.

Captain Noir struggled to grab it as Peek-a-boo materialized in front of him and he swung at the air wildly. Cash rained from the spot where the akumatized victim had been momentarily standing.

“No fair,” Peek-a-boo huffed from the other end of the hall. Her sack of cash was slashed in half. “This isn’t over.”

She disappeared again into the last remaining vault left open.

Captain Noir struggled to pull the vault door closed as Scarlet-bug slipped inside with his tuba. Stacks of money and gold bars were displayed in elegant rows where Peek-a-boo took them in with wide eyes. For now all three of them were trapped in a battle of wits and cash.

Scarlet-bug used his tuba like a bat in Peek-a-boo’s direction, but she sidestepped it effortlessly, vanishing and reappearing at the other end of the vault trying to pry the huge doors open. Her laughter was the only constant sound between the reoccurring punches and kicks she managed to dodge.

“Wait!” Scarlet-bug paused mid punch, holding the tub close. “I think I got it. Cap, mind throwing your belt?”

“What?” Captain Noir was momentarily thrown off by the pretense of removing an article of clothing and by the new nickname, but he did so willingly, tossing his belt over while he blocked Peek-a-boo from getting too close.

Scarlet-bug caught the belt with ease and looped it around the tuba in a complicated knot. His eyes were wide and whatever parts of his face not obscured by his mask were shiny with sweat. The tuba-belt weapon was ready and waiting when Peek-a-boo decided to make another jump from across the room, trying to find a way out.

“This ends now, Boo,” Scarlet-bug said and brandished the tuba one more time, except this time instead of swinging it he carried it over his head and sunk Peek-a-boo’s head inside the tuba.

She howled in fury, trying to pry the instrument off, but Scarlet-bug held tight by the belt attached, almost like trying to reign in a storming horse.

Captain Noir stood there flabbergasted for a second. His body must’ve moved without him, or maybe it was Plagg taking his own reigns, because suddenly Peek-a-boo’s golden belt was in his hand, broken in two pieces.

A black butterfly fluttered from inside the belt, did a small lap around the vault, and then vanished in a shower of white when Scarlet-bug brought his yo-yo up and over his head to catch it.

“Gotcha,” he exclaimed in delight, even as his earrings beeped in warning. He threw the tuba into the air. “Miraculous do your thing.”

Red and black dots flittered around the room quickly, righting everything back to how it was before the akuma incident. The cash and gold in Peek-a-boo’s bag disappeared in a shower of sparks, and the magic slipped through the door to possibly restore the rest of the building.

“Scarlet,” Captain Noir nodded to the deakumatized woman on the floor. “Let’s wrap this up.”

The woman couldn’t have been much older than them with bushy hair tied back in a messy bun and a black suit like the rest of the workers downstairs. She gulped, then started to sob.

“I’m sorry,” she said through tears. “I didn’t think...I didn’t know. He just offered—“

“He?” Captain Noir interrupted. “Who’s he?”

Scarlet-bug was right next to him. “Do you remember anything while you were akumatized?”

“Vaguely.” The woman tried to stand up but her knees buckled under her. “I remember this voice, but that was it. Then it was rage and and and...”

Her voice trailed off.

“Your name is Leshawna Baez?” Scarlet-bug asked. He had a wallet in his hand when this Leshawna nodded her head in agreement.

“I’ve shortened it to Shawna,” she said timidly. Then a fire lit up in her eyes as she stared at both of the superheroes in question. “You’re not going to use that in your police report are you? It’s not my fault I swear.”

“So, Shawna,” Captain Noir drawled to focus her attention back to him. “This voice told you to go steal the CC National Bank and you accepted it? Just like that?”

“Not exactly.” Shawna held her head again like it hurt. “He said something about stealing. I could only assume he wanted me to bring him money.”

“And you’re sure it was a man? It wasn’t a woman?”

“I...” Tears tracked through Shawna’s cheeks. She quickly wiped them away with her sleeve. “I don’t know. It could’ve been a woman. I’m sorry.”

Shawna refused to say anymore so Captain Noir stepped away and left her to cry. Scarlet-bug inspected the safe with nibble fingers. It was still locked and apparently magic wasn’t going to solve all of their problems.

“Allow me,” Captain Noir said with a grin. “Cataclysm.”

He touched the safe door and it crumbled to pieces. Hopefully the bank could replace that in the aftermath. They had in fact saved the city, what was one metal door going to do with the growing economy?

The police were already waiting outside the bank when the pair walked out. Captain Noir and Scarlet-bug stepped back and let the authorities do their own work of collecting Shawna’s statement. Even if everything was accounted for and no one got hurt, the duo had agreed to let the authorities get the akumatized victims the medical attention they needed and await a trial if they did anything more than property damage. So far no one had gone to jail on account none remembered their encounter with the akuma or how they had become akumatized. Shawna was the first exception.

Scarlet-bug looked solemn. “We better keep an eye on Shawna. I don’t want the police thinking she caused this deliberately. She deserves a fair trial.”

“Yes, because the CCPD is all about fairness,” Captain Noir muttered. “Wait until they hear about this mystery man controlling people.”

“I know.” Scarlet-bug sighed. “This means there’s someone behind the akuma and it’s deliberate. I’d like to talk to you about it more after we recharge. Maybe tonight?”

Captain Noir glanced at his ring. He still had some time, but Scarlet-bug would have to go soon.

“Sure. I can’t be too long though because I do have a life besides superheroing.”

“Got a hot date?” Even as the words left his mouth, Scarlet-bug turned the same shade as his name. “Not that I’m prying.”

Captain Noir arched an eyebrow even though it couldn’t be seen behind his googles. “And if I do?”

Scarlet-bug made a very unintelligent noise as his face turned reader than the ladybug suit. “No, nothing. I didn’t mean—“

The ladybug miraculous beeped, silencing Scarlet-bug from saying anything else.

Captain Noir couldn’t smirk any harder. “Saved by the bell.”

“Shut up. I _will_ hit you with my yo-yo.”

The head detective of the police force stepped forward, stopping the conversation entirely. Captain Noir’s smirk turned into a sour frown as the detective started shaking Scarlet-bug’s hand.

Ugh, Detective Joe West. Captain Noir couldn’t stand the sight of him. Even the way the man constantly jotted down notes when someone was speaking to him made him seem like bad news.

Scarlet-bug on the other hand had been overjoyed to be working hand in hand with Joe West. It was like the kid had a secret boner every time the detective showed up.

“Detective, hey,” Scarlet-bug started just as his miraculous beeped its final warning.

He shot them both an apologetic look before taking off away from the scene. The last thing Captain Noir saw was a shy wave before his partner disappeared between buildings, and Detective West was in his face.

Captain Noir fought an incoming growl. “Detective.”

Joe West eyed him up and down, clearly not convinced he could hold his own. “Captain Noir. How was the butterfly catching today? I see you destroyed a safe. How do you expect to pay for that?”

 _They’re called akuma!_ Plagg hissed. _Who does this guy think he is?_

Captain Noir was able to place his signature smirk on his lips by the thought of his own kwami hating the detective as much as he did.

He crossed his arms. “If you don’t approve of our methods I could always leave this city to be taken over by akumatized victims. Let’s see how long your police force will last underwater, or turned to stone.”

“That hasn’t happen yet,” Joe West snapped. The nerve slowly working it’s way up to his head edged Captain Noir on.

“But it could. Anything is possible in this city. Who knows, you might be next.”

If it wasn’t for his ring beeping, the detective would’ve probably strangled him, but he didn’t. More officers left the bank and made their way to Joe West, calling his attention enough for Captain Noir to slip away.

“Be seeing you,” he said and saluted with two fingers.

Captain Noir ran through three back alleys to make sure he wasn’t being followed and lost his transformation. Plagg flew out of the ring, shaking his head.

“Cops can be so stupid. No wonder us heroes need to clean up the city.”

“They're chumps and pansies,” Len said, grabbing a piece of cheese from his pocket and offering it to his kwami. “Recharge and let’s get to work. Ms. Baez might still need us to keep a watchful eye.”

XXXXX

Barry walked the long way back to campus, not bothering to take the bus as his alarm bell rang 5:45pm. He was 15 minutes late, but still the cool air helped calm his senses.

CC Jitters stood proudly in a little corner just a few minutes away from campus, the perfect hanging spot for coffee, donuts, small talk, and seasonal drinks. It also happened to be the place where Barry had promised to meet Iris after she had caught him snooping on her Instagram page.

His thumb might’ve slipped once or twice and liked a photo from 4 years ago when she had still had braces. Then there was also that collage she had posted of a summer back in middle school where Barry’s head had coincidentally been on top of hers. It was also a coincidence she had accepted his follow request a few seconds later while he had hyperventilated in his room.

Iris sat at a high table, brow scrunched as she glared at her keyboard. She was as lovely as ever in a white off the shoulder sweater that complimented her almond skin, and Barry’s heart skipped a beat when she waved him over.

“I was afraid you had blown me off,” she said with a smile.

“Yeah...” Barry rubbed his head and blamed his warm cheeks on the cold weather. “Sorry about that. I got hung up on a lab report I’m doing for a class. I hope you didn’t start without me.”

Iris chuckled and slid two donuts in a clear bag for Barry to eat. His heart and stomach did a lurch. How did she know donuts were his favorite?

“I wanted to catch up with you without spilling anything on you this time,” Iris said as Barry bit into a donut and powder spilled on his fingers. The moan that left his mouth was borderline pornographic and Iris laughed. “Having fun there, Barr?”

Barr? She had called him _Barr_ , his old nickname! She still remembered.

Barry swallowed before answering. “I’m starving. Thank you for this, really.”

Iris leaned back in her chair. “You still a bottomless pit?”

“That hasn’t changed.”

“If you want there’s a new Vietnamese restaurant opening down the street soon. We can grab lunch sometime after class.”

“Yeah? That would be awesome!”

The rest of the conversation was standard catch up. They both ordered coffee while they chatted and laughed and shared personal stories. Barry asked questions and Iris answered, or it was the other way around. It was nice to interact with someone besides the homework awaiting in his dorm when he got back, and Iris was an interesting conversationalist, especially when it came to her new blog.

“I’ve been working on something for CCA to keep people up to date on current events happening around the city.”

She pulled up a page on her laptop resembling something belonging in an art museum with a huge mosaic in the background depicting different words people used to refer to Central City. The ones that stood out the most were ‘stunning’, ‘happiness’, ‘eventful’, and ‘home’.

Barry grinned. “That’s awesome! I’ll be one of the first to check it out.”

“Actually, I already have thousands viewers so far.” Iris tapped a few keys on her keyboard to display a chart detailing her statistics based on each of her posts. “People are super into these two superheroes that popped up a few weeks ago. I even got a video!”

Barry tried not to let his smile slip as Iris showed him a close up video of Scarlet-bug swinging through one of the bigger parks in Central City, a little girl in hand. He remembered that day like it was yesterday because it _was_ yesterday when a building had caught fire and he had happened to be walking nearby.

“I’m itching to get an exclusive interview on them,” Iris exclaimed. “The black one that has like these cat ears on his head is really hard to catch, but I bet I can get the red hero to talk to me if I can catch him in action.

“You mean Scarlet-bug,” Barry blurted before he could stop himself. He masked saying anything else by taking a sip of his coffee. “That’s what I hear people calling him around campus.”

“Scarlet-bug,” Iris repeated slowly, already lost in her own world as her fingers typed something out. “This is some good stuff. You don’t happen to know the other one’s name too?”

Barry barely escaped Iris’s big doe eyes watching him, but he refused to spill anymore beans. Who knew what Captain Noir would do to him if he accidentally got Iris breathing down their necks on patrol.

“Nope,” Barry said, popping the ‘p’. “No clue. Maybe if you’re lucky you can ask around and see what other people know.”

Iris’s eyes glistened with excitement. “Or I can catch them in the act.”

“I don’t think you should.” Barry started tapping his foot in order to have something else to do besides crush his empty coffee cup. “Besides, isn’t your dad a cop? He would so kill you if you went anywhere near an active crime scene.”

“Yeah, that’s true.” Even though Iris’s smile fell slightly, she still perked up. “Speaking of my dad, he would probably love to see you soon. He had this running joke with the other dads that you and I would end up together. Can you believe that?”

Barry looked away so hopefully his blush didn’t hit him head on. “That’s something alright.”

Thank god Iris didn’t get a chance to catch his red face because her phone rang, startling them both. She picked it up quickly without looking at the number.

“Hey, can you give me—Hey you.” Her voice changed from one line to the next. Iris mouthed something akin to ‘sorry’ at Barry before she stepped away to take the call. “Yeah, I’ll be there soon. Just out with a friend.”

Somehow the word friend didn’t sit well in Barry’s stomach. ‘Friend’. He didn’t want to be _just a friend_. He wanted to be someone special in Iris’s life at least.

She came back a second later, but her happy grin was gone.

“Sorry about that,” Iris said as she gathered her purse and laptop. “I hate to run, but my dad told me he’ll be working late so I’m going to stop by and get him an early dinner. We’ll do this soon, right?”

Barry smiled wide. “Definitely.”

He watched Iris leave out of the coffee shop and couldn’t help the permanent grin on his face.


End file.
